Again With the Critiques

In my efforts to improve my writing and motivate myself, I joined a writing group. Most of the other members of the group give me helpful advice and commentary. As with any group, however, some of the participants fail to provide any useful information. This causes me to critique them in my head. I enjoy critiquing the people who critique me. Such behavior actually makes me aware of my own faults as an amateur editor. Though I have listed some of these before on my online journal, I want to list a few of my own thoughts for those participating in such a group.

1. No matter how much you want to say it, anything that equates to "I would never write this, so it isn't any good" is not useful. The other members of the group offer the best advice that they can give. You should do the same. If you begin reading each submission with an open mind, you might be surprised to find that other genres are just as interesting as the one you prefer.

2. In a similar vein, always telling someone that their writing is almost perfect because they share your genre doesn't help them. Do you really think it helps someone to tell them you love the story but not tell them what they can improve? We all have room for improvement.

3. Learn from the people in your group. Observe what techniques they use to critique your work and emulate those methods that help you. Don't be afraid to ask them for input on how you can offer better advice. For instance, poetry proves complicated for me because it is so subjective, so I tend to ask the poets what kind of feedback they desire.

4. If you don't plan to take the advice of your fellow writers, don't waste their time. At least one member of our group blows off the majority of what other people say to him. This doesn't help him grow. Conversely, I have seen some amazing improvement of one of the other members of our group because he actually applies the advice he receives.

Anyway, those are my beefs for today. Use them to make a hamburger if you wish.

You Be the Teacher

We all remember those themes we were given in English class. Our teacher would tell us to write about our favorite toy, our best friend, our summer vacation or what we want to be when we grow up. I feel I should give all my faithful readers a chance to challenge my creativity. Can I really make any topic worth reading about? I doubt it. For instance, who would want to read a story about fungal infection? Or selling a house? (Sadly, I have at least one friend who insists that this was a major theme of a story I was writing.) I am willing to give all and any ideas a fair chance inside my mind, so give me a topic and prepare to be entertained.

Did I Dream That?

This post may disappoint. It may also never be read. Without loyal followers who are willing to critique, laud, and question, does a blog such as this really have a purpose?

I ask myself that question on a regular basis. In fact, that question taunts me more than the nagging realization that I need to post here more often. So I put it to you again, dear readers, what will bring you back here?

I should assure you before you answer that I really am writing when I am not posting here. I just want to know how fine-tuned a piece must be before you'll consent to read and enjoy it. I also need to stop getting awesome story ideas when I am trying to put my brain in sleep mode, mainly because I tend to dream that I write these ideas down, only to find in the morning that I have neglected to do so.

So here are my questions. Answer them in the comments:

1. What do you hope to see here?
2. Are you afraid to start reading and appreciating because you're afraid you'll be let down by a sudden lack of posts? (I promise more posts when I have more readers. Just click the "Join this site" button and dare me to post more.)
3. How can I motivate you to keep coming back and bring your friends?
4. Of the stories already posted, which did you like best? Why?

Thanks so much for making this a blog to remember. Without you, there is no blog!