Unless someone explicitly asks for my feedback, I assume they don't want it. If they put a piece out into the world, they may just want me to read it as a form of self-expression, which I think is perfectly valid. I've been in a lot of writer's groups over the years, and I think people are way too afraid of letting someone have an imperf…
Unless someone explicitly asks for my feedback, I assume they don't want it. If they put a piece out into the world, they may just want me to read it as a form of self-expression, which I think is perfectly valid. I've been in a lot of writer's groups over the years, and I think people are way too afraid of letting someone have an imperfect piece of writing, as if they're personally responsible for the crappiness of someone else's work. I also think that people often confuse "comfortable to read" with "good." Sometimes, the best writing requires time, patience, and willingness to trust the writer. Of course, this all stems from the view that there's such a thing as an objectively good piece of writing. There isn't. It's subjective. Some writing is more widely appreciated than others, but there are many variables that contribute to the success of a piece that don't necessarily have to do with the skill of the writer. I think the real danger is that someone will stop writing or they won't take risks because they're worried about what their critics will say. With that being said, I provided extensive feedback to a friend when she wrote the first draft of a novel, and that novel is coming out soon. I'm so proud to have been part of that process.
Love these observations ... You hint at something I’ve thought about, which is that a piece of writing isn’t always intended for “everyone,” but rather for the reader who is attuned to its message. I find a lot of writing that I don’t feel competent to respond to, I just don’t feel like I have anything useful to ad. But some writing feels to urgent and personal that I love to engage with it. I think I’m blathering! I really appreciate you reading, Amy.
That doesn't sound like blathering to me. Yes, I agree! We don't all respond to the same thing. We don't all like the same books, art, or music. We have different brains and different life experience, and that's one of the really cool and amazing parts about being human. If it was objective, we'd all have the same favorite book, movie, song, and painting.
Unless someone explicitly asks for my feedback, I assume they don't want it. If they put a piece out into the world, they may just want me to read it as a form of self-expression, which I think is perfectly valid. I've been in a lot of writer's groups over the years, and I think people are way too afraid of letting someone have an imperfect piece of writing, as if they're personally responsible for the crappiness of someone else's work. I also think that people often confuse "comfortable to read" with "good." Sometimes, the best writing requires time, patience, and willingness to trust the writer. Of course, this all stems from the view that there's such a thing as an objectively good piece of writing. There isn't. It's subjective. Some writing is more widely appreciated than others, but there are many variables that contribute to the success of a piece that don't necessarily have to do with the skill of the writer. I think the real danger is that someone will stop writing or they won't take risks because they're worried about what their critics will say. With that being said, I provided extensive feedback to a friend when she wrote the first draft of a novel, and that novel is coming out soon. I'm so proud to have been part of that process.
Love these observations ... You hint at something I’ve thought about, which is that a piece of writing isn’t always intended for “everyone,” but rather for the reader who is attuned to its message. I find a lot of writing that I don’t feel competent to respond to, I just don’t feel like I have anything useful to ad. But some writing feels to urgent and personal that I love to engage with it. I think I’m blathering! I really appreciate you reading, Amy.
That doesn't sound like blathering to me. Yes, I agree! We don't all respond to the same thing. We don't all like the same books, art, or music. We have different brains and different life experience, and that's one of the really cool and amazing parts about being human. If it was objective, we'd all have the same favorite book, movie, song, and painting.
Very valid points, especially the risk that someone might give up writing altogether. What a potential loss, both for their readership and themselves