Being in love
with writing is just the same as being in love with any other hobby – only
other people who feel that love can truly understand it.
When I find
one of these people, especially if they have been successful in their endeavours
to write a novel, I always ask them the same question. It is a question I have
never really received a proper answer to, but one that I m desperate to have
answered. I need to know if I am wasting my time.
“How do you
know if you are a good writer?”
Like most
creative people I am immensely private about my work. I have never let anyone
read my attempts at writing a novel. Because I am the only one who has read it
and I am hopelessly in love with it, I genuinely don’t know whether anyone else
would think it was any good.
Dougie
Brimson, writer of the Hollywood funded film Green Street, answered the
question rationally:
“Whenever I
am talking to a budding writer, the first thing I tell them is if you cant take
criticism then don’t do it. No matter what happens or how good you are, at some
point someone is going to slaughter your work and that can be tough to deal
with.
“If you
understand that, then I would always advise people to join writing groups. They
are fabulous things and most will provide honest and constructive feedback on
any work presented to them. Trust me, if they tell you you can write, you can
write!”
Ben Hatch,
author of the best selling book ‘Are We Nearly There Yet’ gave a much more
simple and typical answer to the question:
“They probably
wouldn’t ever know the answer to that.”
Oh dear. In
my opinion – if you have given it a really good go then your writing talent
must be correlated in some way to your success. I haven’t had any success yet
but, as I said, I haven’t let anyone read my work yet. I am considering it,
because if I am a terrible writer I am wasting a lot of time writing at the
moment. Still, if the resounding answer was that I should hang up my quill now
I think I would be devastated. It may take away from the joy I feel when I
write. So for now at least, my writing is for my eyes only. That way I can tell
myself I am a fantastic writer and all is well with the world.
In the
meantime, if anyone knows the answer to the question “How do you know if you
are a good writer?” please feel free to let me know.
For more
information on Dougie Brimson
For more
information on Ben Hatch
by Sarah Gate
The Brit Writers Blog
It is a tough one! I felt and acted the same for many years, not daring to show anyone my work. Eventually I decided I needed to give it a go - but I worked *so* hard on my writing before handing it over to my first reader: tweaking and editing and polishing and tweaking some more...
ReplyDeleteI *hate* criticism - but I know it's essential, so I grit my teeth and try to accept it. I just try to make sure no one can tell me things I already know. I don't want to waste my criticism-withstanding-powers on things I really should have noticed myself.
The other thing I would say on this subject is that for the first ten years when I sat alone writing in my bedroom it's quite possible that my writing wasn't really up to scratch, and that it's a good thing I didn't show it to anyone and get my confidence destroyed. But my writing eventually became decent because I practised so much, and because I looked at it so critically myself. It's probably also the case that if I'd had a thicker skin, shown someone my work, and taken their criticisms to heart I could have cut that ten years down to two...! :-S
If - like me - you find it easier to deal with a stanger's criticism than that of someone you know and respect, then sites like http://www.youwriteon.com or http://authonomy.com can be useful.
Thank you Emma! Very helpful! x
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