I attended a writing workshop a few weeks ago and one of the sessions talked about providing feedback through a lens of curiosity. Asking questions about the story (e.g., why did the narrator take action Y? how did they end up living in place X?) is far more helpful for the writer than simply saying, "I liked this part but didn't like that part."
Agree on the "lens of curiosity." I also think it's important for the writer fielding the questions to know that answering them immediately isn't necessary. It's one of the reasons I prefer to receive feedback in writing. It takes the pressure off and I'm less likely to vehemently defend the work before I've taken the time to view it more critically myself. It also allows me the space to scoff, fume, and curse as much as I want to without seeming ungrateful to my feedbacker. 😏
Totally feeling your frustration with querying agents, Meg! I did that already and had recently decided I'd skip doing more in favor of submitting direct to small/indie pubs, but just cannot seem to get enthused about it... Great nugget: "There's a sameness that it seems like the gatekeepers are after - they want what they know already works - they're not taking chances..."
Ben! Don't be embarrassed about Rewind, Playback! I quite enjoyed it! 💜
Great talk, you two - so many connections for all of us. 🤩🥰
Thanks so much for listening, Troy. I've also decided to start exploring the world of small press publishers. It took me about 30 seconds to realize how much BETTER a fit for my work many of them are. Just scanning book covers and seeing how different they all are from each other and from bestseller "sameness" trends made me feel really happy. It'll still be a long haul to get one of them to notice me. But it just takes one. And skipping over the agent altogether feels delightfully badass. Who needs 'em? I say. 😎
Great talk once again, Meg! Love that you come from the theatre world, I have a great friend who's an actress and together with her ex-husband they had an independent theatre for many years. He's also a writer and director and poet (the whole package) and he mentored me with poetry for quite some years. Anyway, I wanted to say that your theatre experience puts you in a position where you can plot stories without even thinking about it. I know you said in the episode with Amran that you have a weakness there, but actors know instinctively when their character doesn't work on stage because they don't have 'enough to do' or 'nothing is happening'. My first completed work in 2019 was a theatre play and my friend, the actress, was very quick at pointing out that it was lacking plot. This helped me adjust the story.
Great interview Ben, lovely hearing you even though I felt like I know most of the stuff because I read most of your newsletters 😅.
🤣 Nooo, not at all. It's nice to hear the audio version. Oh wait, your posts already have an audio! Just kidding, Ben. Always a pleasure hearing and reading from you. 💚
Thanks for all your support, Claudia! I love that you're listening to the early episodes. You'll find they become less technically proficient the further back you go, since I've learned a few things and upgraded my recording equipment since the first one. 😊
And yes to everything you said about my theater background. I think you'll enjoy the upcoming episode very much! My guest and I are both former actresses and we talk quite a bit about how it affects the way we approach creative writing. 🎭
Wonderful interview guys! Loved your discussion on multiplicity (or multitudenessnessness 😂) and how it nurtures your creativity but also creates a sense of “not belonging anywhere” in a world that needs boxes.
Multiplicity certainly rolls off the tongue a bit easier, doesn't it? But what kind of artist rebels would we be if we took the easy road all the time? 😉
This was such a fun conversation and the highlight of my week. Thanks for inviting me into your world for an hour, Meg!
Thank YOU, Ben! I think we kicked some valuable stuff around in this one. Thanks again for joining me @myworld.
Great conversation -- I really enjoyed it.
I attended a writing workshop a few weeks ago and one of the sessions talked about providing feedback through a lens of curiosity. Asking questions about the story (e.g., why did the narrator take action Y? how did they end up living in place X?) is far more helpful for the writer than simply saying, "I liked this part but didn't like that part."
Thanks for listening!!
Agree on the "lens of curiosity." I also think it's important for the writer fielding the questions to know that answering them immediately isn't necessary. It's one of the reasons I prefer to receive feedback in writing. It takes the pressure off and I'm less likely to vehemently defend the work before I've taken the time to view it more critically myself. It also allows me the space to scoff, fume, and curse as much as I want to without seeming ungrateful to my feedbacker. 😏
Another great conversation. Love to hear about your journeys and what you’ve both learned. 🥰🙏
Thanks for being such a loyal listener! It means a lot! 💜🥂🙏🏼
Totally feeling your frustration with querying agents, Meg! I did that already and had recently decided I'd skip doing more in favor of submitting direct to small/indie pubs, but just cannot seem to get enthused about it... Great nugget: "There's a sameness that it seems like the gatekeepers are after - they want what they know already works - they're not taking chances..."
Ben! Don't be embarrassed about Rewind, Playback! I quite enjoyed it! 💜
Great talk, you two - so many connections for all of us. 🤩🥰
Thanks so much for listening, Troy. I've also decided to start exploring the world of small press publishers. It took me about 30 seconds to realize how much BETTER a fit for my work many of them are. Just scanning book covers and seeing how different they all are from each other and from bestseller "sameness" trends made me feel really happy. It'll still be a long haul to get one of them to notice me. But it just takes one. And skipping over the agent altogether feels delightfully badass. Who needs 'em? I say. 😎
Great talk once again, Meg! Love that you come from the theatre world, I have a great friend who's an actress and together with her ex-husband they had an independent theatre for many years. He's also a writer and director and poet (the whole package) and he mentored me with poetry for quite some years. Anyway, I wanted to say that your theatre experience puts you in a position where you can plot stories without even thinking about it. I know you said in the episode with Amran that you have a weakness there, but actors know instinctively when their character doesn't work on stage because they don't have 'enough to do' or 'nothing is happening'. My first completed work in 2019 was a theatre play and my friend, the actress, was very quick at pointing out that it was lacking plot. This helped me adjust the story.
Great interview Ben, lovely hearing you even though I felt like I know most of the stuff because I read most of your newsletters 😅.
Sorry I couldn’t be more mysterious! I’ll take the note. Thanks for listening.
🤣 Nooo, not at all. It's nice to hear the audio version. Oh wait, your posts already have an audio! Just kidding, Ben. Always a pleasure hearing and reading from you. 💚
You're still a mystery to lots of people, Ben. 💜😊
Thanks for all your support, Claudia! I love that you're listening to the early episodes. You'll find they become less technically proficient the further back you go, since I've learned a few things and upgraded my recording equipment since the first one. 😊
And yes to everything you said about my theater background. I think you'll enjoy the upcoming episode very much! My guest and I are both former actresses and we talk quite a bit about how it affects the way we approach creative writing. 🎭
Wonderful interview guys! Loved your discussion on multiplicity (or multitudenessnessness 😂) and how it nurtures your creativity but also creates a sense of “not belonging anywhere” in a world that needs boxes.
Thanks, friend! I hope things are great in your world.
Thank you for listening, Kimberly. 💜
Multiplicity certainly rolls off the tongue a bit easier, doesn't it? But what kind of artist rebels would we be if we took the easy road all the time? 😉
Great conversation! Thanks for sharing
Thank YOU for listening, CB. 🙂