Thursday, November 17, 2005

More on workshopping

Being a Libra, I of course see both sides of a situation and can see virtue in each side. (Actually, I tend to see more sides that are there.....!) I do feel people do the best they can and sometimes they just reach a limit.

Thing is, the teacher in me wants them to push beyond their limits, and becomes disappointed when they don't, or can't. The writer in me--which is a bigger part of me; it was there first, before the teacher--has little patience for the thinned skinned approach. I have been through a ton of workshopping and have brought stuff that stunk and have been the recipient of criticism that hurt. I guess I kept going because I made the commitment and am loyal to my commitments--to a fault, some would say. I used to think, some day I will come here and they will love what I bring. That day came.

I know this: That day would not have come had I quit because of my feelings that they just didn't get what I was trying to do.

Currently reading: Map of the World by Jane Hamilton.
I didn't pay much attention to this book when it became a bestseller a few years back. Partly it was because the book is difficult--a child drowns. When my son was smaller, children getting hurt in books was too too much. But what an incredible book. Such wonderful writing and character development. We can all learn a thing or three from this book.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Re: your comment on critiquing....I would not critique a new writer's work in the same way that I look at a long time student's work. A new writer is tender and I don't want to scare him/her away. Someone who's been writing for a while is a different story. I figure if they've been writing awhile, they can take it. And if they can't, I figure they'll just deal with it as best they can. Either they will learn to take it, or they will decide it just isn't for them. Getting critiqued doesn't always feel sweet and I don't think there's any way to make it sweeter, except for not forgetting to stress what is working about the piece.

Thanks for commenting, Dana.

Al said...

Hi Cuz,
How cool to see your blog too... I definitely post irregularly - three posts last week, four months since my previous post. Glad lyou are posting weekly or so. Hey, take care and keep up the good writing. Cuz, Al