Yeah, yeah, yeah. . . I know. Why does anyone want to listen to me? I mean, I'm a new member, I haven't posted any of my own stories yet, and you can't even see if I'm legitimate or not. So you shouldn't have to care about what I have to say, right?
Well, you actually should. And for several reasons.
First of all, let me establish my legitimacy. I've been writing for a long time, and I mean a VERY LONG TIME, considering how old I am. Currently, I am 18 years old, and I've been writing (and writing seriously) since I was 6 years old. That's a period of 12 years, for those of you who can't subtract, lol. Secondly, I've been studying writing for quite a while now. I've been enrolled in AP English and literature courses since I was 14, which have helped me perfect my writing. (But by all means, my writing is still far from perfect.) I'm also currently taking a college-level fiction writing course, which is taught by a nationally renowned, published author. So, now I'm sure that you understand I know what I'm talking about.
Okay, so now you're probably wondering what the hell I said all of that for. Well, here's what I was really intending to say. And please don't take it offensively, because I'm not trying to stab at anyone or their beliefs, or their actions regarding this site. I'm merely voicing an opinion.
First of all, I think sites like this one are a wonderful idea, and I mean that sincerely. I like having the chance to have my work critiqued and perhaps even edited by my peers. Often times, our peers are our most helpful audience because they think as we do and are thus better critics.
But unfortunately, the good often comes with bad.
I would just like to say that I hate the way some (NOT ALL) of the critiques and comments are being phrased. One should NEVER begin a critique with a suggestion or negative comments. Critiques are ALWAYS started by stating the positive aspects of a piece, while the negatives and suggestions are added later. Also, I've only been on this site for a total of two days, and I've already noticed several bitterly harsh comments and critiques (ironically enough, they're all by the same know-it-all person... no names until it becomes more of a problem.) This hurts me for two reasons.
The first is that having comments and critiques should be an enlightening experience for the recipient. A person should be able to learn from mistakes and edit his/her work without the issue of someone hurting his/her feelings. Comments should always be left keeping in mind the feelings of the person on the receiving end.
The second reason this hurts me is because writing is a PERSONAL hobby. Our writing reflects our personal opinions and biases, our likes and dislikes, and ultimately, our own personal writing style. Wouldn't you agree that this world would be really, really boring if we all wrote about the same things in the same style? It would be horrible!!
That's why I feel that comments and critiques should be free of opinions and biases. I've noticed that several writers have been leaving comments and critiques that should otherwise be objective, but instead are founded on personal opinions. Since we're all taught how to write differently, we all have different views about style, voice and interpretation, and we thus have no right whatsoever to tell someone else how to write. One can give suggestions and interpretations, and even expressing an opinion is harmless enough if it's not harsh or hateful, but under no circumstances should someone ever critique someone else's work solely on the basis of personal thoughts and biases.
For instance, someone who feels that poems should be long and subtly expressive in details and emotions should NEVER tell another person that his/her poem is all wrong because it isn't long enough or isn't subtle enough. (Poetry is a hard category to critique anyway, because it's so versatile.)
Remember that old adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure"? Well, this is a perfect example. One person may think that another's work is complete crap, but to aother person, that same work might be a masterpiece. We shouldn't base comments on our own biases because writing is subjective.
You don't have to listen to me, if you think I'm out of my mind, because these are merely my personal beliefs. This is what I have been taught. All in all, though, I suppose what I've been trying to say this entire time is:
Please be mindful of other people, their feelings, their beliefs, and their specific writing personality. And under no circumstances should anyone EVER leave a comment or critique that is based on personal teachings. If it's not a widely-accepted opinion or bias about writing, then chances are the person who is receiving it would rather not receive it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure that there are some other authors on this site who appreciate it as well. Happy writing!!
Sincerely, Southern_Belle
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