I am grateful.
If they don't tell me what's wrong with my work - how will I learn?
My strength in writing is content. I have plenty of topics to write about and copious amounts of information to share. But often, I am far, far too wordy with my wordiness of words.
Red ink.
Slash.
Stab.
"Passive voice, Karla!"
"Inconsistent POV here!"
"You already used that word 65.6 times!"
I fall short of helping my critique partners as much as they help me. They are the nit-picky, detail oriented crowd. I'm the big picture maven. That's exactly why I need them. It's painful. I get frustrated with my limited abilities. But I truly believe they are divinely appointed by God to help me. He brought them into my life. How grateful I am for such gifted "critters!"
I might not be able to spill as much red ink for them as they do for me (mainly because they are writing geniuses), but the one thing I can do, is pray. I pray for their manuscripts, the anointing of the Holy Spirit to inspire them, and for God to "enlarge their coast" (1 Chronicles 4:10) so that their work will sell.
I also pray that they'll be anointed when they critique my work.
And that they'll be in a very good mood.
Chin up girl, you are not the only one! We are ALL learning and honing our craft. And developing a much needed thick skin if we intend to venture into the deep end of the pubbing pool.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know from reliable sources that Blunt Detail Freeks are total party poopers and no fun at all. Especially if they're OCD. I don't know any personally, but I've heard. I have long believed that Visionaries and Detail Freeks need each other, and if we can learn to communicate, accept, and coordinate one another's big picture vision AND the need to fine tune, we will enhance each other's work far more than we could ever do alone. Must have something to do with being created by a Triune God who is supremely interested in cooperative relationships. :-)
Also, if the Blunt Detail Freeks would JUST learn to preface their comments with nice words and remember to compliment the good stuff, that would probably help. I know of a BDF whose kids complain that their mom only points out what they're doing wrong and never mentions when they do well even though she thinks they are marvelous, incredible human beings and is soooo proud of them. But this is an extreme case of a woman who needs some long-term counseling and probably some sort of shock therapy. Maybe she should find a pastor's wife who would be willing to mentor her into becoming a nice, big-hearted lady. I imagine if said pastor's wife rode a motorcycle, that would go a long way to reaching such a hard-hearted gal. God help her.
Anyway, I appreciated you sharing your heart, that took a lot. Nit-Pickers need Big Picture Mavens & vice versa. I work with big-picture/visionary types and we have learned to draw on one another's strengths and fill in for each other's weaknesses. It can be done if approached with grace and patience. Loads of patience. And grace. :-)
Thank you for graciously including such people in your precious inner circle!
Me on the other hand. I'll keep right on picking your nits. Eeeouwwww! Iron sharpens iron, sliver by sliver, pov by pov, repeated word by repeated word and I appreciate that you appreciate all of us, just as we do you. You have been invaluable to all of us. Catching things others miss. Camille's right, we all need each other. I think God puts together the exact right group, when that's truly what we're looking for--like the body of Christ, each has his or her own job to do. And we DO IT! Nits, picks, and all! hehehe
ReplyDeleteLOL! We've been stabbing, huh? Heehee! All I know is that I appreciate your big pic crits SO much because I lose the pic picture and I forget things I've already written...LOL! YOu're awesome and you MOST certainly do help with your crits. It's not quantity, it's quality. *grin*
ReplyDeleteI like what Camille and Linda said. :-)
Hey, Karla! Thanks for your blog entry. It's so good to remember other writers are experiencing the same thing we do. The crit group I belong to (hmm, wonder what one) is amazing! Every one of the members contributes great suggestions and points out errors, but with a dose of humor, and most important, a big splash of love, compliments, and encouragement.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work with your "big picture" ideas. Keep making the suggested changes you find valuable, and soon you'll be catching them before you even strike that keyboard! Well, maybe a short time after--but, you get the idea.
And thanks for praying! Your fellow critters are blessed by you.
Love your line -- "too wordy with the wordiness of words"! I'm still chuckling. . . :-)
ReplyDelete