The more I write and the more I read published novels, consciously noticing elements like voice, POV, showing and telling, tense, and organization and structure, the more confused I get. I know what I enjoy reading, and it is not always work that is more show than tell. Generalizing, I can say that I enjoy a wide variety of approaches, voices, themes, and genres.
Early on, I learned a lot from crits, writing them as well as getting them, but for more than a year now, I hesitate to make critiques of anything but details and obvious cliches. I recognize my own fallibility and hesitate to preach as gospel something that is more of a guide than a necessity. Personallly, I never submit first drafts for critique (though my writing may seem awkward and unpolished, it is not as a result of my not struggleing with it), and I don't like to struggle with the first drafts of others. More important, the more I learn, the less I feel qualified to comment. It seems to me that much of the advice I have received, though useful, gets in the way of my developing my own voice and style. It is a Janus act, I need to work out things by myself, and I need input from others.
Writing advice and crits have become a puzzling burden. How do I find a balance? How can I be helpful without thrusting crippling suggestions on other writers?
Early on, I learned a lot from crits, writing them as well as getting them, but for more than a year now, I hesitate to make critiques of anything but details and obvious cliches. I recognize my own fallibility and hesitate to preach as gospel something that is more of a guide than a necessity. Personallly, I never submit first drafts for critique (though my writing may seem awkward and unpolished, it is not as a result of my not struggleing with it), and I don't like to struggle with the first drafts of others. More important, the more I learn, the less I feel qualified to comment. It seems to me that much of the advice I have received, though useful, gets in the way of my developing my own voice and style. It is a Janus act, I need to work out things by myself, and I need input from others.
Writing advice and crits have become a puzzling burden. How do I find a balance? How can I be helpful without thrusting crippling suggestions on other writers?
