tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531303716851976145.post6626638222832470152..comments2023-11-22T13:50:02.214-05:00Comments on Fiction Forge Indy: It's Just Words on PaperHeather McGrailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06977311711658865833noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8531303716851976145.post-26237070029195838582013-11-06T10:43:18.546-05:002013-11-06T10:43:18.546-05:00Another age old conundrum, isn't it? We all c...Another age old conundrum, isn't it? We all can remember those first few times our writing lay naked before a stranger--or at least someone not our spouse or best friend, and at least someone who was also a writer--and felt our heart race as they gazed at our baby and nodded and said "Congratulations. You must be so proud. Too bad this thing is so ugly and is clearly far from overly intelligent. Shame on you!" Or at least that may be what we thought they said or meant, since the sting was probably just as painful.<br /><br />Yet, if one is to become the best writer one can be, we must progress beyond that sting--even though as we've said, even a seasoned writer can feel a touch of that sting when the criticism penetrates deeply enough, and that usually occurs when the comment hits the bullseye of something we know we've been deluding ourselves about! <br /><br />So, the sting never totally disappears, yet we have to remember that good criticism is the greatest gift a writer can ever receive. Pure business? Of course not, yet is IS business to the extent we will grow as writers and improve our work in direct proportion to how we receive and assimilate that businesslike criticism--especially the most stinging.<br /><br />So, that person with the smug grin--or maybe a smile the writer simply took for smugness given the sting of the comments the writer realized are accurate--becomes the focus of our thoughts about the critique...while the rightness of their comments falls not to the secondary but to the almost forgotten. What power we've just granted that person! And what a waste we've made of their work in reading and annotating our words!<br /><br />So, tough as it may be, isn't the key to accept the "business" of the comments--especially those most penetrating--to say a gracious thank you, and dismiss the ass's personality (perceived or real) as their own problem rather than holding it close to our chest, savoring our disdain for them and forgetting that their comments can improve our work?<br /><br />In Keith's situation, the critique was delivered in a black and white, disdainful manner, with the bottom line message being that the writer was wasting everyone''s time and he should abandon his project. Hardly constructive criticism geared on helping the writer--at whatever level--grow and improve.<br /><br />Also, as Keith has mentioned, our workshop group does enjoy and apply a good deal of humor and sarcasm in our discussions, but it's pointed at the writing, not the writer. So, not all business, but certainly plenty!David M. Hasslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00902975745598197198noreply@blogger.com