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Peer Pressure
By ALongLook in The Write Stuff
February 27, 2009

I was talking last night with a fellow writer about character development for a project she's working on.

After the discussion, I came to realize that we, as writers, need each other. We need feedback. We need constructive criticism. We can't work in a vaccum...all the time anyway.

So, if you have a writing project or projects you  are working on, find a critical thinker (by that I mean someone other than your mom or best friend who is going to :"love" everything you write) to talk about your writing. Discuss your story and your characters. Let them read what you've written and comment on it.

We should all have a reading circle at some point in a project. Several other readers who lend their opinions to what's right and what's wrong with your project.

Think about it. What can it hurt but your feelings? And in the long run, other eyes on your words will most likely make them better and more likely to leave the shoebox under your bed.

Keep writing!

www.SonnyLong.com

Comments


  • ALongLook ALongLook Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Excellent suggestions and points!
    Thanks for sharing them. Anyone else do something similar or different?

    February 27, 2009 at 9 a.m.

  • coolgranny coolgranny Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    You are so correct. If you seriously want to write, get into a night class at the college also. Don't take the English 101 stuff. Take the creative writing or writing to publish classes. There are many genre to pursue. I am a great technical writer, but creativity is just not there. If I am writing a paper with research to back it up, or stats to compare with a conclusive opinion, I am fine. If I try anecdotal stuff, it is just bland. I know how to teach the different genre, but I lack the verbal creativity to separate from the pack. If you can truly be open to positive criticism and direction, you will succeed. It is the desire that makes great writers and a great editor.
    I remember reading someone's comment on why an article was titled a certain way, but the story took a totally different direction. There are even classes about publishing a newspaper and all the reasons for the above. I took this to implement into teaching reading and inference skills, but can't remember the actual names for the various types of articles. Like I said there are all types of writing, and you might find the one that fits your style perfectly by getting serious critiques of your work.

    February 27, 2009 at 8:08 a.m.