Processing Input
October 12, 2000
7:40 a.m.
Interesting collection of responses to the procedure I discussed yesterday. First, thanks to those who have offered to help. It's quite a good collection of folks (though there's always room for more) I'll be deciding in the next day or two what I'm going to do.  Right now, I think it mostly depends on whether I can come up with what I think will be a useful set of questions or not. Thanks, also, to those who have questioned the value of the process for the various reasons there are to question it. I've always fond the issue of whether one should "workshop" stories to be an interesting one. I've generally fallen out on the side of trying to obtain feedback, but certainly understand the connotation of dilution that the concept carries. Steve the Skeptic voiced one of those types of opinions on the sidebar--which I greatly encourage, by the way...I'm not saying I'm "right" on this subject at all. I will say that I think I'm pretty confident of the vision I have for my art. I will also say I think taking input and winnowing out chaff is a science unto itself. I tend to think I am able to ignore stuff that I think is out of bounds ... but maybe I'm wrong. I'm not worried that my work will get watered down by reactions to others' comments. It's my work. I'll only change what I want to change. In fact, I was actually stymied for a few moments when I realized Steve the Skeptic considered the procedure akin to "writing by committee." Then Lisa (the wife/copy editor) said the idea sounded that way to her, too--and this is a person who has seen the way I take commentary and either use or ignore it more closely than anyone. So I've got to think about it a little more, I suppose. The whole thing is very interesting. I know have a vision for what I want my stories to do. What I want them to be. This is generally the case with all my work anymore--though I'll admit that it wasn't always the case when I started out. I rarely take anyone else's plot/story suggestions. Yes, I know various workshop aficionados think it's a good idea to give the writer suggestions. But to me these are merely attempts to write the story themselves. So I think I ignore them. Or better, I use them as thing not to do. After all, if someone else thought of them, it's an "obvious" solution...I should be more original! [grin]. So I listen to critique for the stuff between the lines. What parts of the critique fit my vision? What parts indicate I missed the vision by a mile, what parts indicate I almost got the reader there? Then I make changes to the nuts and bolts as necessary. Sometimes the changes are essentially nothing. Other times it's pretty major surgery. But anymore, it's pretty much always to make the manuscript meet my vision of the story--not to change the fundamental vision itself. Anyway. I've got to go to the day job. I've got about a billion things to say on the topic, but no time. Like I said, I'll let everyone who volunteered know what I'm going to do this weekend ... will reply to each reply then too. Thanks for your time...   Have a great day.  Good thing you're out of time Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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