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So I'm going to start a new feature for the blog. I've been finding so much great content out there in the blogosphere that I want to share with everyone and I don't want it to get lost in the sidebar. Since I don't do anything on the blog during the weekend anyway, I'm going to rename Saturdays to "Spread the Word Saturday." (Oh so witty, I know. Pft.)
I'm going to highlight one blog post that I thought was ultra witty, snarky, or just plain ol' good advice. Most often they'll be people I know, so be looking for a link to your blog. Today's is not going to be someone I know. Today's relates to my own personal emo experience from this week.
Dahmijva shared this with me today to cheer me up. Seems there are people out there that truly dislike me and I can only figure it is because I give it to you straight. That said, here's a link to critique guides for those fluffy bunnies who can't stomach my straight forward style. It's from Wired Magazine.
Alt Text: Genius Strategies for Defanging Web’s Harshest Critics Please pass it along to all the fluffy bunnies in your life and let them know that we lubve them, we weelly weelly do.
And thanks for all of the comments on yesterday's post, it made me feel warm and fuzzy in spite of finding out that I'm a know-it-all jerk that no one likes, oh, and that I'm apparently wrong (thanks Dahmijva). Friday's will likely be filled with snark from now on so read with caution. :)
14 comments:
Aw. I like you. Though the more and more I read and learn about you, the more I think I shouldn't ask you to read any of my stuff for critique...^__^
And that article made me laugh!
LOL, feel sorry for my husband.
And I never said you're wrong, just that I'm right-er. Neener-neener. :p
This is a fabulous idea, btw.
Amber, thanks. I'm not mean with my crits, I'm just blunt. I need to work on it. Find a way to be more free flowing with the compliments. All of my feedback is constructive. I tell you what I think doesn't work and why and usually give ideas on how to fix it. My critique guide gives a bit better idea of how I crit: http://diviningthewords.blogspot.com/1977_07_01_archive.html
And this makes me think of possibly critiquing one of my earlier stories, marking it up as if it were someone else's, and posting it for folks to see how I do a crit. (hmm, that's a good idea Amber. Thanks for giving it to me.)
Damihjva: I will NOT feel sorry for your husband. And you are so not 'right-er', you're too progressive for that. :)
I'm happy I gave you an idea. Now we're even! :)
I got a shock when I found out that I was considered the harshest critic in my little pond too. Problem was, if I genuinely thought a story had a problem, I really felt I was letting the writer down if I didn't at least flag it.
I'm happy now to just have a small core of people who know they'll get both barrels (filled with *constructive* bullets IMHO) and still want my opinion.
And that's the kicker, Rosa, I don't do critiques in this particular circle specifically because I don't want people to start hating me because of how straightforward I am. Sigh. No, I think it's because the only time I participate is to lend advice which apparently comes across as, "Oh, look, the know-it-all has decided to grace us with his presence."
Maybe I should start doing some though. They'll be filled with honest opinions like, "This is the best thing I ever read," "People obviously don't get your style, but I do," "Can you print out a copy of this and autograph it for me?" :) Okay, now I'm just being mean. :)
Completely off topic, but I think I owe you an appology.
You are totally Charlie on that com. Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus
There is a very fine line between being "mean" and being "straightforward". A lot of people mistake the latter for the former, usually when said straightfowardness doesn't tell them what they want to hear. We really need to have those straightforward people in our lives to burst our ego-bubbles sometimes, because we never do it ourselves.
So be proud. Straightforwardness is needed!
(I know I'm late to comment, boo me.)
Damihjva: I am SO not Charlie. You know why I'm not Charlie? Because if those two fruity unicorns would of stepped up to me with that mess, I'd of taken my shiny horn and run it straight through their ooey gooey hearts.
And kept my kidney.
:oP
Paige: It's alright, I understand that you take the weekends off from the blogosphere. I'm sure that I should probably do the same. And while straightforward is needed, I suppose I could find a way to work more praise into my criticism. Although, as a friend of mine says, once you get the praise from me, it means all that much more.
I think it's just that when I look at someone's story, I'm trying to figure out how I can help make it the best that it can be and that if I don't do that, then I'm letting the person down.
It always helps to have more praise, sure. "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!" as they say. :P But the praise isn't the medicine part. The part that is really going to help is the constructiveness of it. If they just want the sugar part of it, then, to be blunt, that's their problem and no longer yours.
lol, I like you, Paige. You're my kind of writer. :)
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