Now that I have started writing again, I find that I have no one to read my work. I have a wonderful husband, but he only reads non-fiction, and the story I'm working on is not only decidedly fiction, it borders on chick lit.

My dad's best friend is an author, and read a short story I wrote ages ago. But he has cancer and this one is a full fledged novel. Seems like way too much to ask at this point. Especially since he is still churning out his own novels, cancer and all. (Very prolific, that one.)

Who does your reading? Any suggestions on where I might find someone I can trust?

hi.  well, i think i am trustworthy, but i don't have a book in me.  i am an excellent proofreader and editor though, so i would love to help you.  i am retired and have too much time on my hands and i need to do something really stimulating.  i have done a lot of professional stuff, writing manuals, policies and prlcedures.  anyway, if you are interested, just pm me.

I'm working on a novel right now.  It's the first big writing project I've tackled since being married, and surprisingly, I let him read it.  He is very supportive and gives me great feedback.  I've never been one to be open with my work ,so I'm surprised I'm comfortable with letting him read it.

I finished the draft of my novel years ago - actually it was a second draft.  My mom was the only one who read that.  I've recently begun doing a fairly extensive re-write (many other ideas have come to me over the years), after which I'll probably look for folks to be test readers.  (I'm sure mom will want to be one of them...)

My brother, my boyfriend (both are writers), my mom, I have a few friends (all writers) who read everything.  I tend to do it in stages so I don't get overwhelmed.

If the Work in Progress is a romance (of any kind) you might consider checking  http://www.charlottedillon.com/RWC.html 

I belong to the main RWC group and will be joining the critique group now that I've finished (and won!) NaNoWriMo and have something to submit--yay me!

My husband is great at finding tiny errors, so he's usually the first person I go to.  I also have a couple of trusted friends that are published writers themselves, so when I can, I ask them as well.  A lot of areas have writer meet & greet groups, and brainstorming groups, so if you're not afraid of someone ripping on one of your ideas (rare in those groups, but it happens), that might be a place to find some constructive criticism.  

I have unfortunately found that family members are not the best critique partners or beta readers. I rely on other writers in my critique groups as someone to catch grammatical errors and problems with the plot.

You could try absolutewrite.com or querytracker.net to connect with other writers. I write women's fiction as well. Good luck.

I am just beginning in my writing career with the aspirations of writing a novel. I am currently enrolled in a junior college working towards my Masters in Eng. Lit with creative writing emphasis.  I am among the millions of unemployed and have a lot of free time on my hands. I would be interested in reading anyone's work and offer my opinions. When I write something I usually let my husband read it first and then off to accumulate the opinions of some author friends and a few of my literature teachers from school.

Let me know if anyone is interested. My email is busydonnelly@yahoo.com

Jacki