The feedback has been positive with solid suggestions for improvement. Until today. This morning I received a brutal critique! I had to walk away from the computer for a while after reading it. Hours later I was able to talk myself into understanding how necessary this process is and that I needed to think about each point this person made. However, I believe there is a good way to critique someone's work and a bad way to do it.
As a writer, you're putting yourself out there, laying your heart down on the page. As a fellow writer, you should understand how much that person cares about their work and even if the piece has problems or you don't like certain aspects, there is a proper way to relay it. Don't get me wrong, I respect the critiquing process and believe in being 100% honest! Receiving feedback plays a huge part in developing your story and I would never want to sell someone short. I also believe in constructive criticism. I'm not saying to be all candy and roses, but don't be inconsiderate, either.
Am I being overly sensitive? Maybe, maybe not. It's a learning experience.
Goals for this week are focusing on my classwork: lesson plan, homework assignment, feedbacks, and preparing my next story for submission. I'm also planning to complete Part One of Story Engineering by Larry Brooks and Part One of Story by Robert McKee.
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50/50 Challenge
Of all the movies I've watched this year, my favorite so far is Megamind. Adorable!
Last week my family came together to celebrate my father's 77th birthday. My awesome brother came bearing gifts for me, too. Aside from the cool LEGO minifigures to add to my collection,
he also brought four movies for me to watch for the 50/50 challenge.
What's the best movie you've watched this year?
5 comments:
Gr, I lost my response!
Anyway... Sunset Boulevard is one of my all time favorites! "I AM big. It's the pictures that got small."
Sorry about your crit. It's a learned art, the balance necessary between positive and negative, and how to be constructive. Maybe this person hasn't gotten it yet.
Hi Viansa,
I had a similar experience where the instructor tore me apart. Granted what I wrote was lousy, but I'm still haunted by that critique. I try ti learn from what she said and build tough skin. But time heals wounds and you'll be able to move on.
Mel, I'll start with Sunset Blvd then. That's true. Right after I posted here, I went back to check my class and someone else had posted a critique. This one was so positive, I wanted to cry. It's such an up and down thing!
Megan, An instructor tearing you apart is even worse. They should know better. I definitely need to build a tougher skin when it comes to my writing. Just keep moving forward, right? I didn't know you had a blog. How'd I miss that?! Congrats on joining the ROW80 ride. Good luck!
I think some of us say we have thicker skins than we actually have. It gets thicker as we become more confident. At least that's what I've seen. :)
Jennifer, I agree 100%! Something to work on. :)
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