Ask for notes from people who’ll actually give them. Fans are fun. Editors make you better.

Encouragement and feedback do different jobs, and only one of them changes the work. People who love everything you make are worth having and will not tell you the middle section drags, because telling you is not what they are for. Choosing who to ask is most of whether you get anything usable back.

Think of the one person who will say the unwelcome thing and send them the work this week. Ask a specific question rather than what do you think. Keep the fans for afterwards, when what you need is the energy to do it again.