A critter can be a great procrastination buster. If there’s somebody who’s prepared to read your work and provide an honest evaluation of its merits and short-falls, then it makes sense to get a copy of your draft over to them pronto. This means actually getting a draft completed at to a stage where you don’t think your words will make you look like a complete moron.
I personally don’t wish to waste anybody’s time by sending a half-baked piece for their consideration. I would only ask somebody to critique my work after I’ve done the hard yards, which means that I’ve picked out grammatical flaws and redundancies; I’m not asking for an unpaid editor.
My point is, if you find a good critter, don’t let them go to waste. So – get going and write! If you don’t send them anything for months, they might start to feel unloved and unwanted. Either that, or assume you’ve been squashed by a meteor or come down with a severe case of smallpox.
The other benefit of a critter partner is that you get to read their work, too. No, it’s not hard work! Thinking about whether or not the piece “works” (and why it’s working or not) can get you thinking about your own work in a new light. Does this passage advance the story or not? Is this character credible, and if not, why not?
This sort of arrangement can challenge your thinking in a way that a course might. and it's not as expensive! What do others think?
It's like that old recipe book that says "first catch your rabbit". I dont have a critter partner. I've tried a few who just didn't really say much other than "good story".
ReplyDeleteSo. . . Does this mean you have something else to send me.
ReplyDelete