Now Kate, be nice and share with your friends...
Another creative writing workshop, another lesson in diversity of opinion. And thank the lord for the objective journalist who reminded some of us that, yes, in fact readers have different tastes in books and, no, you are not writing the piece, they are and they will write it how they please--be it with scars that remain unexplained or with multiple amputations, regardless of the improbability of such an occurance.
But I shared the blog address with some of my colleagues. Gasp! I did what? I broke anonymity online. I am allowing people who know what I look like to look at my blog. I am allowing people who can talk to me in real life to electronically post comments about my cyber life. I must admit that anonymity can be very fun--all the words spiraling along the arm of the milky way into artful oblivion. Or, caught and appreciated by strangers, whose feedback is so much more honest and valid than family, friends, or those people who will need to look you in the eye across a table or a room or a turkey dinner.
I don't really mind the invasion, however. It is only a minor twinge of vulnerability, really. As if I gave away the address to my naked picture site--sorry, that one's a secret. But all any of us, aspiring writers or just avid bloggers, really want is community and feedback. Exercises and deadlines to compell the creative process. So, hey, I brought in a few more for the team! Go me!
Anyway, if you are from my writer's group and you'd like to see some more of my little shut-in (that's what I call her), I post things on here from time to time. Don't know how much I will in the future--this blog is relatively recent and I am still in the first flush of it. The two Shut-In Detective posts are from the same piece--part of her inner life, a personality that springs out of boredom or isolation. Would like to know what you think, if you know you want to think something about it.
As for the comments I received about my story, which was workshopped tonight... well, the negative comments were exactly what I expected for the most part and I got some suggestions that really make me want to sit down and pound on the keyboard some more. Which is great, considering that today is the first day in weeks (not counting weekends) that I haven't written something. We get by with a little help from our friends. To add to the Beatles, I say we get by with a little criticism from strangers.
But I shared the blog address with some of my colleagues. Gasp! I did what? I broke anonymity online. I am allowing people who know what I look like to look at my blog. I am allowing people who can talk to me in real life to electronically post comments about my cyber life. I must admit that anonymity can be very fun--all the words spiraling along the arm of the milky way into artful oblivion. Or, caught and appreciated by strangers, whose feedback is so much more honest and valid than family, friends, or those people who will need to look you in the eye across a table or a room or a turkey dinner.
I don't really mind the invasion, however. It is only a minor twinge of vulnerability, really. As if I gave away the address to my naked picture site--sorry, that one's a secret. But all any of us, aspiring writers or just avid bloggers, really want is community and feedback. Exercises and deadlines to compell the creative process. So, hey, I brought in a few more for the team! Go me!
Anyway, if you are from my writer's group and you'd like to see some more of my little shut-in (that's what I call her), I post things on here from time to time. Don't know how much I will in the future--this blog is relatively recent and I am still in the first flush of it. The two Shut-In Detective posts are from the same piece--part of her inner life, a personality that springs out of boredom or isolation. Would like to know what you think, if you know you want to think something about it.
As for the comments I received about my story, which was workshopped tonight... well, the negative comments were exactly what I expected for the most part and I got some suggestions that really make me want to sit down and pound on the keyboard some more. Which is great, considering that today is the first day in weeks (not counting weekends) that I haven't written something. We get by with a little help from our friends. To add to the Beatles, I say we get by with a little criticism from strangers.
posted by Gnomey G at 9:23 PM
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