Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: The Critique/Review (for writers) (05/06/10)
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TITLE: Just A Matter Of Opinion | Previous Challenge Entry
By PamFord Davis
05/12/10 -
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When I began submitting articles, a more experienced writer friend said I needed to be thick skinned. Criticism would come, and come, and come…. I’m beginning to feel like a close relative to the armadillo. Hope that doesn’t mean I’m destined to become road-kill.
Have you ever noticed that people try to replace words which we find hard to swallow? Think about it, commenting that a person is chubby is far less painful than fat or obese. Passed away is exchanged for dead or deceased.
As a writer, I prefer to think of close examination of my work as advice and reviews. Criticism and censure imply negative responses. Those with many years in writing, editing and publishing have earned the colorful term, critiquing. I visualize them at a French café corner table, wearing a beret, confidently positioned with red pencil in hand.
The ultimate goal is to sharpen my skills. A knife is sharpened by briskly moving it back and forth on a grinding stone. Friction experienced in cutting reviews will be used in a constructive way. It’s like a firm slap in the face, when a person loses control of their faculties during a crisis. “I needed that!” (But…please don’t do it again.)
I previously worked in a career where consultants were often hired by owners to give an outside opinion. It usually resulted in cleaning house. I once even heard that after a director fired those working under him, management gave him the axe. Sometimes the new approach worked; at other times it seemed like a very expensive experiment.
It’s all just a matter of opinion. If I mess up, I’ll learn to smile and say oops. When I’m clueless to what I did wrong, I’ll shrug my shoulders and keep working. The key is to continue to be motivated and not become disheartened. Who knows, I just might one day write a best seller.
I love trivia about those who have made it to the top in their field of expertise. They usually arrived after many cliff hangers, barely missing falls to disaster. One tidbit that gives me spunk is a story about Fred Astaire. In Hollywood, in his first attempts as a struggling actor, a critic commented: Acts, sings, can dance a little. That puts things in the proper perspective.
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I could see the editors in the French cafe and I could definitely understand the necessary slap with the silent note of "Please don't do it again!"
Such real emotion in here--so very realistic! I love it! ^_^