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Monday 8 November 2010

More rewriting.

I don't know how I'll ever have time for writing, because I'm far too busy rewriting.
Fairfax Goes To Ephesus was aired at my screenwriters group last week. The feedback I was given was that it was too well written, which is probably a polite term for long winded. Some of the historical facts were hard to follow, and I needed to put in more sound directions, as this has been written as a radio play.
All good advice, and I am really lucky to be in such a good group who give constructive, but never harsh criticism.
Learning to accept criticism I consider to be part of the skill of being a writer, and possibly one of the most difficult skills to acquire. Let's face it, generally when people write their ego comes to the fore in a way it never would in their ordinary life. No holds barred.
So what happens when your precious peace of work that you have previously edited until you think cannot possibly be edited anymore has reached as near perfection as it will ever reach, is given constructive criticism which no matter how kindly is delivered always comes down to the same meaning... COULD DO BETTER? Ego can come out in defense, before it's had time to consider what has been said. The inner turmoil this can induce can be like hell unleashed if you are a naturally creative but sensitive soul.
The best way to deal with critism, is  and learn to value it and to make full use of it is to just accept it and make sure you write down the comments in your notebook, taking care to date and name who has said what. Only then when you later have time to reflect, (I recommend no sooner than a week later), can you make sense of what has been said, and choose whether to agree with the criticism or not.
I'm going to see if one of my writer friends will give this latest (but maybe not the final) draft a once over before I send it to the BEEB.
Meanwhile I'll get to work on something else...oh and I've still got to rewrite Henley's Ricotta because I've promised a sample to this site.

2 comments:

  1. Hi John, I spotted you on Nari's site having found Liz in Writers' Forum. (Must be a shorter way of saying all that). Anyway, thought I'd come over and read your blog. I am a writer, a Scorpio and I have 5 grown children, one grandson ( not quite 6 weeks old.)I have a blog www.deborahjbarker.wordpress.com and I am familiar with the agony of criticism which is not always constructive but which can always be useful and I am all too familiar with rewriting. I have found it difficult to find other UK writers' blogs for some reason. Probably because I haven't looked hard enough.
    I shall come back and read yours again :-)

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  2. Hey John :)
    Thanks for coming on over to my blog, it's nice to finally meet (in a manner of speaking) other UK writers.
    Constructive criticism is something I've always struggled with too. But you know, you're right - giving yourself time to reflect on just how 'constructive' it is, is often the best way. It often takes outside eyes to point out something that you will eventually see as a major flaw, but until then you bumble on by thinking everything is fine. I find this all too often.
    Anyway, keep at it - think of it as prooning, refining, cutting off all the rough edges. The editing process is just as important as writing in the first place:)
    (Hello Deborah too :))
    Nari X

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