Some days, it just takes one comment for everything to dovetail right into each other, and make a lot of things snap into place mentally for you
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Thank you sir, and everyone else, who answered my post about not feeling qualified to 'concrit' someone's work.
I can always offer an opinion though, as many of you have reminded me.
Different perceptions and outlooks on a piece are always a good thing for growth. I do feel intimidated by the caliber of writer in LJI, but that only serves to make me want to learn more about the process and work harder.
On the subject of tone and sensitivity towards critiquing another's piece, I look at it this way:
I have had no creative or formal classes in writing other than books (which was an addiction in itself, the library was my best friend)
It takes me days to write a piece and then more time to tweak. I don't have the luxury of spellcheck or (lord knows I need it) punctuation check. I take all this into account and then figure others might not either. It has a tendency to make me be compassionate toward, and give a kind comment on, everyone's piece.
The voices in here shine bright ya know? I'm glad to lift my glowstick with them. ;-)
It takes me days to write a piece, too, you're not the only one! Often, I come up with An Idea, then do ridiculous amounts of research on Wikipedia for any facts or info that I *might* need to write it, use maybe 5-10% of the info in the piece itself, and chalk the rest up to "Well, maybe I learned something," LOL.
Also, while spellcheck is good for obvious misspellings, it has its limitations, too.
Of course, I'm often editing while typing it up, then posting it in my journal, re-read, make minor edits, re-read, tweak a bit more, then decide, "Okay, I'm done now," usually around 2:00 AM, heh.
Empathy, that's the word I've been looking for! We should strive for that. Plus the responsibility doesn't just lay on the critiquers shoulders, the writer has to realize the critique is of the piece... not the person! It's hard for us writerly types to remember that.
I can always offer an opinion though, as many of you have reminded me.
Different perceptions and outlooks on a piece are always a good thing for growth. I do feel intimidated by the caliber of writer in LJI, but that only serves to make me want to learn more about the process and work harder.
On the subject of tone and sensitivity towards critiquing another's piece, I look at it this way:
I have had no creative or formal classes in writing other than books (which was an addiction in itself, the library was my best friend)
It takes me days to write a piece and then more time to tweak. I don't have the luxury of spellcheck or (lord knows I need it) punctuation check. I take all this into account and then figure others might not either. It has a tendency to make me be compassionate toward, and give a kind comment on, everyone's piece.
The voices in here shine bright ya know? I'm glad to lift my glowstick with them. ;-)
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Also, while spellcheck is good for obvious misspellings, it has its limitations, too.
Of course, I'm often editing while typing it up, then posting it in my journal, re-read, make minor edits, re-read, tweak a bit more, then decide, "Okay, I'm done now," usually around 2:00 AM, heh.
All hail the mighty glowstick!
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I love wikipedia! I do the same thing Ro! :)
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