I'm working on a scene that was one of the first dozen or so I wrote for this novel. It is filled with telling, pov issues, tense changes and a myriad of other issues. I'm mortified to remember how in my fresh faced eagerness I popped it up for critique immediately after finishing it. My only defense is that I was naive and inexperienced in the ways of writing.
Amazingly enough, everyone who critiqued the scene was very positive. Oh, they pointed out the problems, they didn't hold back. They just did it in such a way that I still felt I had potential, that I could make something of my story. They didn't sugar coat the problems but they let me know how I could be better and encouraged me to try.
I am so grateful for the people who took the time to teach me about writing and pushed me to be better. It is thanks to them I have grown enough to realize how bad that scene was.
Where do you find help and support? Crit groups, spouses, parents, children, friends, strangers, who has or is helping you learn and grow?
Of late it's been online, reading blogs, some are about writing and associated stuff, but some are about obscure and far-flung things that capture my attention ... and engaging in the conversations that occur in the comments sections.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of useful blogs and websites out there. I have come to learn that the writing community is huge.
ReplyDeleteCompuserve Books and Writers [bg]
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm talking about. I've learned so much there.
ReplyDelete