What’s the story? Who is the character and what are they doing? Why am I writing this? These are all critic questions for me.
I mean – How. I can write or print, doing this draft with pen and paper and later I will type it to the computer screen. How to I start a story?
How do I put one sentence after another? The basic story in head to story on paper/screen.
Take my story Derrick. I’ve restarted that thing at least fifty times. Why can’t I just take my original draft – as bad as it is – and retype it, filling in as I need?
Hmm, what discouraged me from that? Simple memory – a critique rip-to-shreds on my first hundred words. Yup, someone in a group that was to critique and offer help instead tore into my story with words – I’d toss it back on the shelf. Yeah, those have stuck with me for years, damn, decades.
That was it for that comment. No suggestions. No explanation to her reaction. No positive feedback to offset the negative. Trust me, I know the start needed help, but that was cruel. I quit the group. Even when a critique group was via snail-mail I received more encouragement, more support wrapped in the negative.
Critiquing is an art. A skill beyond telling someone their writing is trash.
Ignore the harsh, mean, maybe even jealous, even the over-opinionated words and write.
Take suggestions, but don’t live in another’s opinion.
I can write and at times I’m pretty good.