Here is a thought, to be a good editor someone needs to understand your work. As you have mentioned earlier, some people may not get your writing or meaning in other words. So how do you expect people who do not understand it, to give you a valuable feedback or insights? Sure they’ll catch small things like grammar, but I doubt they would impress you much with anything beyond that.
“How are you supposed to learn when you are not shown what you have done well? You are left guessing what is good and all you see is the bad.”
I tend to think along the lines that we can choose what we see. From this description of your work I take it that you think that you are fairly confident in your ability and performance, but also realize that there is a room to grow. Correct me if I’m wrong. Yet you say you do not know at the same time. It makes my thoughts go back to one of your very first posts, when you said that you are starting to look for answers more and more inside of yourself.
I replied to her in an email, but I believe I will elaborate here a little more.
The reason I look for "insights" from people that don't get my work is to gain perspective. What is it that they do not get? Do they not get it because of lack of background? Do they not get it because I was overly complex or simple? Did they not get because I explained it poorly or focused on the wrong audience?
It all helps me see what I am doing from another's eyes. I like to see how others interpret my work, to see if I was able to convey what was within my mind to them as I wanted to.
Also I want to know how to communicate to people that don't "get" it. Of course I am, above everything else, writing for myself. I write because I enjoy it, I like putting my thoughts, ideas and stories down for others to read.
But sometimes I want to share my ideas, and let people see something through my eyes. And if I can acquire the ability to let them see it, even briefly... well I think that that is just plain cool.
There is always, always, ALWAYS room to grow. To believe otherwise is to be a fool in my opinion. I believe there is always a little more that you can learn, a new skill to acquire and new experiences to gain.
I am looking to myself for answers, but I also want to understand others as well. I am not the centre of the universe... I am just the centre of my life.
And I'd like to learn a little about the others orbiting around me as I go about it.
What is it that makes others tick, how is it that they view me from the centre of their own lives?
Lastly, in the end the writing is mine. I define it, I create it, it is just plain mine. I have the choice to take what others give me in criticisms or not. I do not define myself by then.
I often use writing to clarify my thoughts, as I write it sharpens things that have been tickling at the back of my mind, having people tell me their opinions on strengths/opportunities of stories or posts can give me new ideas and concepts to play with as well. And also allow me to look at something in myself at a different angle.
This is the end of the post, I think I am about to go too far afield and I'm tired! :P
Posts
Whenever I read the title or first sentences of a post, I think most people gets an overview of what the post would be about, and if its something they have experienced or thought about before they would have made up their minds on their point of view about it.... usually. If that is the case, it is rather difficult to look at the big picture without any bias, therefore makes understanding a point that you don't initially on rather difficult.
ReplyDeleteWhen you read something you agree on, you just keep going thinking yes that's correct, but when you read something you don't agree on, you will immediately want to point it out, it is not an easy thing to appreciate whatever you are reading, because we have learnt to be critical in the environment we are in where competition is so fierce.
I think the most difficult part about it is to learn to read things first from a neutral perspective, from someone else perspective before yours, like you've said, we shouldn't think that we are the center of the universes, but rather put yourself in a situation where you are orbiting in someone else universe and see how they perceive the world.
That is why I like debating with a group of over against someone. You will always believe you are right and it is always going to be bias, very rarely do you persuade your opponent to believe in the same thing as you, but with an audience, they can make the a judgment on who is making a more valid point, in the end, with feedbacks from a more neutral perspective, you get to know if your argument is persuasive or just plain bull.