It's Good- For a Sixteen Yr Old

i find the cult of workshopping hugely disturbing.

Ah yeah, the condescending attitude. I haven't encountered much of it, actually, but that's because I rarely ask older people for crits. If there are people my age who'll give a more valuable insight (and there are), why bother?

Just ignore her, that comment only denotes how immature SHE is. After all, maturity is NOT measured in years.

So you do the mature thing and stick your tongue out at her!!

If you take it from the critiquer's point of view, maybe she thought it was average at best, but since you're younger you still have the potential to improve and become even better?

I'm not saying your work isn't any good. I'm saying that the chances of your work being better in ten years is astronomically good. That the critiquer liked the work enough to say so is a big plus. That she qualified that the work could have been much better with age and maturity behind the page says more.

maybe your age was the mitigating factor in the relative evaluation of your work's quality. a sixteen year-old being told their work is good for a sixteen year-old is a far bigger compliment than a thirty year-old being told the same thing.

I usually take it as a compliment. They really mean "I usually don't see teenagers who write that well, so if you continue to work on your writing, you should be good to go in 10 whatever years."

In other words, you have the potential to get a lot better and write something publishable in the future.

TsukiRyoko said:

over the years.

Click to expand...

classic.

TsukiRyoko said:

- A little bit blue Andrea

Click to expand...

You're a girl? I didn't realize that.

You're a pretty good poster for a girl.





























ETA:

Well, to tell you the truth, until today I didn't know you were 16 AND female. Nevertheless, you're still older than me. Write on, girl! Write on.

YA writers spend all their time trying to get the teenage voice down Maybe I'll get a teen to critique me and tell me, "Not bad, for an old broad." ha! Perfect! The grass is always greener.
Before being shattered, what were the credentials of the reviewer? Was it some academic from the local college, or someone you had admiration for..... what was the source of giving him/her the power to shatter you?
Put it this way -- if some prune-faced codger who was the type of person who never missed church on a Sunday morning because of a hilarious and eventful Saturday night HATED my work, I'd be so pleased. I'm not writing for a certain audience, and I'm not concerned with pleasing everybody. And if someone is indicating your age is relevant to your usefulness as a writer, they aren't critiquing your work, they are critiquing you. Seriously. An adult would never hear "Not bad, for a middle-aged soccer mom who works in the local embroidery shop and has no idea what it's like to work for the CIA." Move on, and save the shattering for more crucial book reviews in the future.
I do critiques for one teen writer, and I can say this about him: he has the imagination of a writer, the word choice of a writer, and the drive of a writer...but he lacks adult emotional responses to situations, and so sometimes his character's responses to situations are not terribly "deep." They come across as not aligned well with his characterization. He lacks some wisdom that will certainly come with age. Many ply this trade for decades, but that is certainly no pre-requisite to success. If you are aware of some weaknesses you have as a teen writer, don't be apologetic and don't allow those who pander to you "Aw, look at the cute little teen writer" discourage you. Keep accumulating experiences and writing about them.

From someone whose first review as a teen writer was "Do you think you might need to talk to a counselor at school about things going on in your life that would make you write about graphic things when you ought to be going to sleepover parties?" Twenty years later - novels published by major pub house.

Go for it.

Alan Yee said:

Well, to tell you the truth, until today I didn't know you were 16 AND female. Nevertheless, you're still older than me. Write on, girl! Write on.

Click to expand...

But she's still younger than me, so I get to act all condescending on her (I just love this smilie!!)

billythrilly7th said:

You're a girl? I didn't realize that.

You're a pretty good poster for a girl.

Click to expand...

That's lame. What has her gender got to do with anything. Geeee...will the next male chauvinist pig please raise his hand.

Well I spent the last year teaching creative writing to ages 13 - 18 and I'll admit their age was a determining factor in my critiques. Why? Because I accept that a 13 year old is going to write differently than an older student.
Many people often don't harshly critique younger people's work because they don't want to hurt them. I'm not saying this applies to you in any shape or form but some younger people often become devastated when they are given suggestions for improvement. Hell, I know a ton of adults who behave that way too!
Keep up the writing. The best way to get better is to never stop!

It's a simple fix, but I doubt you'll have the patience for it.


Get older.



Most of the stories written by younger writers lack the emotional maturity they need.

In two years, read the story again and see if you can't tell what I'm talking about.

We all have the same problem.

SpookyWriter said:

That's lame. What has her gender got to do with anything. Geeee...will the next male chauvinist pig please raise his hand.

Click to expand...

Naw, I think billy's got it pretty well covered.

TsukiRyoko,

Do you know how young Mozart was when he completed his first opera??

Age is irrelevant!

Mozart - his talents...

They first came to light when Wolfgang was about three years old, and Leopold, proud of Wolfgang's achievements, gave him intensive musical training, including instruction in clavier, violin, and organ. Leopold was Wolfgang's only teacher in his earliest years.

Click to expand...

There are a few child prodigies who excel beyond the mental capacity of their immediate mentors. Such children need to become challenged and enlightened by their intellectual peers.

I suggest an audience with a university counselor who can help guide you to the correct forum on campus.

Good luck,

DamaNegra said:

But she's still younger than me, so I get to act all condescending on her (I just love this smilie!!)

Click to expand...

one of my personal favorites, too

Jean Marie said:

Naw, I think billy's got it pretty well covered.

Click to expand...

Doubtful. She's a smart and challenging kid. Give her an edge and discover if she is who she says, and the youthful truth will become more evident.

You could be right, but I always fall to the side of caution.

Yeah, this will last a long, long time. I still have people telling me, "It's pretty good, for a seven-year-old."

SpookyWriter said:

That's lame. What has her gender got to do with anything. Geeee...will the next male chauvinist pig please raise his hand.

Click to expand...

It's amazing how things can just fly right by certain people's heads.