The Writing Life
It’s okay if you don’t know which way to go. You can always ask for directions. – Write Right
When you don’t know what to do with your work, ask for directions. You don’t have to have all the answers. No one ever said a piece of fiction or a painting had to come out perfectly formed.
The idea of being teachable relates to humility. You submit to another, be it the author you’re reading, the employer you serve, or the professor teaching the class. You open yourself to criticism and new ways of looking at things.
Some of my recent work has been a lemon. A dud. An abject failure. I’ve been in what can only be termed a “writing slump.”
[Read more…] about What to do when You’re in a Writing Slump
Criticism is a horse pill: hard to swallow but good for you.
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Criticism can be given for multiple reasons, but it generally can be divided into two camps of thought. The first is criticism that is for the writer’s benefit; that is, criticism that takes a person’s work to the next level and pushes him or her to reach that level. The second is to be dismissed, and it is to be dismissed immediately. It is the sort of criticism that is done for the sake of “poking holes.” It has no grace to it. It has no aim other than belittlement and a desire to prove who is better than whom.
As a creative person, I’ve received both good and bad criticism. At its worst, it kills the creative spirit. I know. I quit playing piano when I was fourteen because of negative criticism. At its best, it fosters creativity. It pushes the creative person to try something new, to explore different facets, to embrace the terror of the unknown. That criticism may be harsh at times, but it’s given in a spirit of good will. It isn’t given simply to be given.