Hey everyone!
I really enjoyed our first class, and I'm looking forward to how we work together to create great projects. It was so much fun listening to everyone's work, which was, admittedly, something I was worried about because after being in workshops and working with other people's writing and reading some "eh" stuff, I didn't want to be THAT PERSON who's in class listening to everyone and being like "Oh god here goes this person again..." Luckily/so far, it's looking good :)
One thing I want to elaborate on from my questionnaire that I also wanted to discuss in class is feedback. As I said before, it's the most important aspect of this class to me, and yet...I don't know what I want from everyone in terms of feedback. I'm very proud of my writing; I spend a lot of time writing and rewriting stories, and telling everyone who'll listen that my writing's garbage until I fix it. And I can't stand when people are quiet/still instead of reacting because then I know they're not paying attention, so what's the point in even sharing, right? That being said, I think what I want is reactions, and I want criticism that makes a difference to the story. I don't like sharing my writing sometimes, and I don't have to (none of us do), but me choosing to do so is a huge step in how much I trust whoever reads my work. I'm sensitive, yes, but I also am able to be confident enough to respect opinions and accept what I feel is necessary to make my writing better.
I hope we can all share this same ideal in some way, because it is nerve-racking to share something so personal and something you worked hard on, but it feels good to just react and receive reactions. It also feels good to recognize that you have faults that aren't going to weigh your work down. Not one of us is a bad writer, so anything that gets a "Eh I don't know about that" or "Uh what's happening that's weird" shouldn't touch our ability to continue writing. Ever.
Excuse my rambling if this was too long; I feel strongly about this after having some bad experiences. I hope they'll be erased as this class rolls on :)
...I'm also really happy we're changing times to 10 AM because 9 AM meetings to discuss writing - when creativity is at a low - just didn't sound right.
Kendra,
ReplyDeleteit's great that you got the ball rolling on the discussion about comments and workshopping. I'm very clear that we need to be appreciative of what the writer is doing and take it to the next level, but i have to say, it's not easy and i've been getting criticism for years! More of this is great
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Mm yes, feedback is a bit of a touchy subject for me as well, because I too have had some disappointing experiences in the past. I'm not too concerned here however. It's clear to me that we are all very serious about our craft, and I for one am genuinely interested in everything that we're writing. We have a lot of talent in this group. I've had my share of feedback that was simply unrelated to what I wanted to do with my work, and that was most disappointing of all. Quiet I can understand, because I am introverted and it takes me awhile to let the writing seep in, awhile to translate the feelings into criticisms and elations. But criticism that would apply to a complete different sort of work is frustrating; that's when I feel like people haven't really listened to what I offered, that they just heard the words on this surface level and didn't try to connect with what it means when it's all put together. But, as I said, I have good feelings about this group, and I trust that we will give each other our utmost consideration and energy.
ReplyDeleteOy vey, I definitely just wrote a lovely comment that didn't post because I suddenly lost internet and now I have to start over :( The gist of what I just tried to post was that I definitely agree with everything you're saying about the importance of feedback! Sometimes I tend to be on the quiet side when it comes to giving feedback unless I really love a piece, like a certain part really resonates with me. I hate giving 'bad feedback' for lack of a better term, because I worry that I'm just being nitpicky or I'm the only one that feels a certain way about something, and I don't want to discourage the writer in any way. But I know how important feedback is to me, good or bad, so I'm definitely working on speaking up and making and 'negative feedback' positively constructive rather than critical!
ReplyDeletehmm..the idea that not hearing feedback from someone translating into them not listening at all is unsettling to me. as said above, i like to take the time to think things over before responding - or in critique i'll feel like a nuance if i just wind up repeating the same remarks as someone else has already done. or someone may just be shy or pressured with an open circle critique in contrast to handwritten notes.
ReplyDeletehey, make sure your name shows up somewhere on the post!
ReplyDeleteoops that was me, heidi..
ReplyDelete