This Thing About Advice...

[Steve Harrison]

“...writers are often the worst judges of what they have written.”
- Stephen King

So true and it reminds me of what my editor told me: It's dangerous for writers to perform the final edit on their own work, as they see what they meant and not what they wrote.

 

[The Big Peat]

Critique wise, I can tell when I don't like something but I can't always put my finger on it. That's mainly why I don't feel the need to be too helpful just yet. I'd love to help but I think that I may just do more harm than good.

Same time - that giving advice is a valuable tool as an author. Forcing yourself to look as deep as you can, bringing forensic appreciation of the work... its great. Not that anyone should just go and give tons of advice just because of that mind but its worth remembering. And its difficult to get good at critique without practicing it - not just on a text as in English class, but with someone who can give their insight and thoughts as to why they did it.

Maybe the answer is that newer critiquers should mainly look at things written by experienced writers.

 

[Lumens]

@The Big Peat - you are right, of course.

To me, everybody here looks like experienced writers.

I'm not really joking either though. The level of expertise and writing is very high.

 

[night_wrtr]

Maybe I should come clean and say that my teaching experience (apart from having been a replacement teacher in the past) come from martial arts.

[offtopic]Curious to which style(s)? I studied Tang Soo Do for a few years, but that has been a loong time ago.[/offtopic]

Critique wise, I can tell when I don't like something but I can't always put my finger on it. That's mainly why I don't feel the need to be too helpful just yet. I'd love to help but I think that I may just do more harm than good.

I feel you. There are just as many opinions on this too - but a writing group might be a possibility. A few like-minded writers getting together to help each other the best they can, learn from each other, learn how to see things in an analytical approach and the basics of critiquing along the way. Of course this has plenty of pros and cons to it, but I am pro-group.

The trick is finding the right people and keeping them together. I've yet to find much success there, which has been a disappointment because I know it would help me personally. On the flip side, like you said, everyone learns in different ways and may not work for you.

Still, wish you the best either way!

 

[Lumens]

[offtopic]Curious to which style(s)? I studied Tang Soo Do for a few years, but that has been a loong time ago.[/offtopic]

20 years ago, Kyokushin Karate. Did Shotokan for a couple of years, and I don't want to appear too negative, but it is not only in writing you get bad advice. That style has a lot of people with knee problems because of the way they force their legs into certian positions. And that's just the start of it.

Now I am doing Kickboxing, but with a custom syllabus unique to our club, where they have taken lots of techniques from all round. I am also doing private sessions with a pro boxer, with no plans but to stay fit and have fun.

Edit: I have written, on and off, all my life, but only for my own sake. Now I feel it's time to take it up a notch, so all advice is much appreciated. Thanks.