This week’s show is all about criticism. While it leans heavily toward writing criticism, we do talk about general criticism and criticism as it pertains to the arts and jobs in general. So here we go:
We begin with an important question: is criticism even helpful for writers and artists, or is it counterproductive to creating “pure” art? Along the way, we discuss how to offer criticism and take criticism that comes your way. We share some personal stories about criticism: the best and worst criticism we’ve received as well as some other tales of being criticized. With anyone with an Internet connection able to review someone’s work online, the review has become a type of criticism. We discuss ways writers and artists can use reviews to see how people feel about what they are doing and maybe even improve their work. We close by looping back to the beginning and asking if criticism is a necessary component of art, or if great work can be created with no outside influence.
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Happy belated B-Day, Christopher!
Now that I’m getting feedback from beta readers on my novels, I’m learning I can recognize what works in other writers’ work, and at the same time not recognize what doesn’t work in my own work. I look forward to improving by leaps and bounds. My beta readers are returning my novels as Hindenburg infernos. Oh the humanity. And yes, I’m very appreciative. I see much room for improvement. Plus I’m used to being criticized. I convert it into food. 🙂
NaNoWriMo? My first one was in 2010, and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve re-written that one since then. But I find 50K words in 1 month is a great goal.
CMS: Thank you for the belated birthday mention!
With your writing…it’s so different, I think I’d have a hard time were I you determining what is good criticism and what is just simply a matter of taste. As I mention in the podcast, I like reading things multiple times before giving feedback; you will get feedback from me. On an initial read, your stuff…fascinates me. It’s to be experienced, that’s for sure–and I don’t mean that in a bad way at all. Parts of your first novel cracked me up, parts made me respect how you just do this thing that is definitely all your own, and the parts that I read that toyed with the syntax in my head were, in their own ways, relaxing and even surreal. I will have to dive in again and make notes the next time through.
I definitely like other people reading my stuff. Since I lean toward something more traditional, I usually have a good idea what works and what doesn’t, but…it’s still always nice having people point things out. Sometimes even opinion doesn’t bother me if the person knows me and my writing well. (Hell, even if they don’t know my writing or me well, it can help.) If I see enough recurring things popping up, I definitely consider changing things.
I’ve never attempted NaNoWriMo. Don’t know if I ever will. It never syncs up with what I’m doing at the time, and I won’t put something down and jump into the fray. But I think of taking one of the quirky novella ideas I have and maybe giving it a go one year…
Thanks for your words of encouragement, Christopher. 🙂 The novel you are beta reading is the result of my first NaNo, in 2010. I’m a fast reader and a slow writer (maybe that’s a reason I’m so fond of writing flash fiction). Jesus Juice is firmly in the bizarro genre, IMO. My other novels are more traditional in terms of grammar, syntax, language, etc. Jesus Juice is very much a cultivated experiment.
Take your time with the read, I highly value your input. 🙂