Why am I going into English again?
Oh school.
How sucky you can be.
Yesterday I received feedback for a story I wrote in creative writing non-fiction. All the other students in my class loved the piece, thought it was wonderfully written. My teacher, on the other hand, tore it apart. I know I need to grow a thicker skin, but there had to be something redeeming about the paper. Several classmates went and corrected him about some of the points that he said was "unbelievable". One girl said she was willing to demonstrate it for the class. He said no, and still contended that it was implausible. He finally conceded that it was "poorly written". I'll take that, but I am not going to make too many changes to the line - only because it was the best way to express a particular action.
It's a double standard, this is the same teacher that is making me read Derrida, Sidney, Heidegger; all in reference to Shakespeare. We covered in the first week of my Shakespeare class that he has things that make no sense in the way you write them. So Shakespeare can have a line like "When I was and a little, tiny boy" but I can't have "I screamed with my mouth shut, my vocal cords straining..." hmmm. Which makes more sense?
Granted, the piece needed some work. My work in general needs work. I have issues with organization and sticking to the point. I have issues with digression. I won't deny that. I have reconciled myself with that possibility. But, there had to be something redeeming about the paper. Nice description, nice use of setting, nice showing of emotions, something!
*grump*
Chris just voiced what I suspected when I talked to him on the phone last night. The teacher is just trying to push me and whatnot. I understand that if he praises my paper I won't try and fix it, because if it's already good, why bother? Great. But I am the type of person that needs at least one piece of positive feedback, that way I know if I don't have to scrap the entire piece. But listening to him I need to re-work the whole thing. Freaking.....grrrr.
I'm gonna revise it. I am going to fix the paper and make it work, though I am not going to change my entire writing style. No, I will not conform to the style that he wants me to have. I write the way I write. If you don't like that, then too bad. I will just forget to mention you when I make my acceptance speech for my Pulitzer prize.
So there.
How sucky you can be.
Yesterday I received feedback for a story I wrote in creative writing non-fiction. All the other students in my class loved the piece, thought it was wonderfully written. My teacher, on the other hand, tore it apart. I know I need to grow a thicker skin, but there had to be something redeeming about the paper. Several classmates went and corrected him about some of the points that he said was "unbelievable". One girl said she was willing to demonstrate it for the class. He said no, and still contended that it was implausible. He finally conceded that it was "poorly written". I'll take that, but I am not going to make too many changes to the line - only because it was the best way to express a particular action.
It's a double standard, this is the same teacher that is making me read Derrida, Sidney, Heidegger; all in reference to Shakespeare. We covered in the first week of my Shakespeare class that he has things that make no sense in the way you write them. So Shakespeare can have a line like "When I was and a little, tiny boy" but I can't have "I screamed with my mouth shut, my vocal cords straining..." hmmm. Which makes more sense?
Granted, the piece needed some work. My work in general needs work. I have issues with organization and sticking to the point. I have issues with digression. I won't deny that. I have reconciled myself with that possibility. But, there had to be something redeeming about the paper. Nice description, nice use of setting, nice showing of emotions, something!
*grump*
Chris just voiced what I suspected when I talked to him on the phone last night. The teacher is just trying to push me and whatnot. I understand that if he praises my paper I won't try and fix it, because if it's already good, why bother? Great. But I am the type of person that needs at least one piece of positive feedback, that way I know if I don't have to scrap the entire piece. But listening to him I need to re-work the whole thing. Freaking.....grrrr.
I'm gonna revise it. I am going to fix the paper and make it work, though I am not going to change my entire writing style. No, I will not conform to the style that he wants me to have. I write the way I write. If you don't like that, then too bad. I will just forget to mention you when I make my acceptance speech for my Pulitzer prize.
So there.