tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870345.post116554224848849627..comments2023-03-13T00:53:25.860-07:00Comments on Writer's Wavelength: The Company of WritersSamAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11957168329971743563noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870345.post-1166385076923673172006-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:002006-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00Ah, need for approval... A monkey on my back.Ah, need for approval... A monkey on my back.Cynthia J. McGeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00117497921942534828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870345.post-1166087364490086432006-12-14T01:09:00.000-08:002006-12-14T01:09:00.000-08:00Easier said than done, very probably! That's wh...Easier said than done, very probably! That's when advice like "don't look down" comes to mind. (<I><A HREF="http://www.franzferdinand.co.uk/lyrics9.php" REL="nofollow">Oh, forty feet remain</A>....</I>)<BR/><BR/>Getting criticism or giving it. Nah, just coffee, thanks.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, getting criticism is toughest when the need for approval gets in the way, whether it's approval for one's work or oneself. Very important distinction.<BR/><BR/>Giving criticism gets especially hard when you wanted to like someone's contribution. You don't want to ruin it for the writer or, even worse, misunderstand what the story needs. "What this <I>Brazil</I> thing needs is a happy ending!"<BR/><BR/>The only way I can get through it, as critic or recipient, is to make the story more important than myself. It shouldn't matter whether it's my baby or someone else's. Either way, it deserves an advocate.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357791073695338391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870345.post-1165740879412068172006-12-10T00:54:00.000-08:002006-12-10T00:54:00.000-08:00Someone I talked with tonight said you want a grou...Someone I talked with tonight said you want a group that is supportive but won't let your piece go to hell. That pretty much sums it up. I want to feel safe, but not too safe - to trust the people enough to know they will tell me where the problems are. Easier said than done? <BR/><BR/>Which is worse - getting criticism or giving it?Cynthia J. McGeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00117497921942534828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37870345.post-1165623619961397422006-12-08T16:20:00.000-08:002006-12-08T16:20:00.000-08:00This probably says a lot about me: I keep mistaki...This probably says a lot about me: I keep mistaking the subject line of this thread as "<A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087075/" REL="nofollow">The Company of Wolves</A>." Freud would have a field day with that.<BR/><BR/>Until recently such company was bad. Seriously bad. It felt like navigating a minefield.<BR/><BR/>Fortunately this is different. Friendly and more mutual, I think. As you said, writing is such a personal thing, so there's always going to be a little tension in writers' groups. But sometimes stepping out of one's comfort zone is good.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18357791073695338391noreply@blogger.com