The importance of knowing who to share your unfinished work with.

18    22 Apr 2016 23:07 by u/effusive_ermine

https://youtu.be/4qRwXUgRu04?t=1h20m30s

This three minute rant is about film making, but it applies equally to any personal endeavor. Try substituting the film terms in the following excerpts with programming terms. If you've ever shared an unfinished passion project with someone who didn't understand it or believe in your ideas, you know exactly where he's coming from.

The most important part to making a short film is knowing who to share it with ... knowing who to let in ... because if you let in the wrong person, it will completely demolish your work.
...
You need to have one person in the world that you can send a screenplay to, and you know that person is going to figure how to get at what you're talking about ... and they understand that it's your first draft.
...
I only show my stuff to like two people, and every time I do they come back and they say, "Number one this is clever and I get this and I like it: the problems are these. If you tighten these up, then I think everyone else will get it, too."
...
If you share it with the wrong person, it will kill you.

5 comments

4

There is a Scottish proverb: "never show an unfinished job to a fool or a woman." Good advice, I've always found.

3

Though I'm loath to ask, what does this have to do with women? Is it just something nonsensical which is meant to sound funny?

4

Folk wisdom tends to be both rude and opaque. Note the proverb distinguishes between fools and women. Perhaps it just means that a woman will be more inclined to curb her honest opinion to spare someone's feelings.

0

Folk wisdom tends to be both rude and opaque.

Agreed. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

1

Been there with the usual consequences.

Now If I could only find someone to share my unstarted work with...