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[write-on-world]

Ivy

let’s catch sight of ourselves:

bones, brickwork and ivy

getting ever more tangled.

as green shoots descend,

clinging to the structure

of rising walls and rolling days,

then sometime in years,

when vines and stones

are one and the same,

when we both seem to shake

in the frosty breath of winter

and in summer’s dusty haze:

we will see ourselves,

in brickwork and ivy,

grown softer and much older.

[write-on-world]

Struggling with Feedback That's Missing the Point

triplecreature asked: I'm in a creative writing course in university and we're doing workshops where we review each other's poems and short stories. I'm conflicted because I don't want to be closed-minded about constructive criticism, but sometimes I feel like the feedback I get is missing the point. For example, the instructor indiscriminately marks up any "abstract" line, even if it's emotional sentiment or would break the structure/line scheme to remove. She's also biased against heavier topics because they're too depressing and said I can't make poetry about characters/conversational perspective. My short story got negative feedback from my peers because my protagonist wasn't inherently good or bad. They felt it his grey morality "didn't make sense." I don't want to be arrogant so I feel bad for struggling with the criticism I get. How do you gracefully approach a situation where you feel uncertain or misunderstood by feedback you get?

Here's the thing...

Reading and writing is a very, very personal thing. We all develop very strong opinions about what we do and do not like, and sometimes people confuse their own preferences as being universal truths. Abstract poetry doesn't seem to resonate with your instructor, and unfortunately she's choosing to interpret that as a problem with abstract poetry rather than a personal preference.

Having said that, it's really important that we not take negative feedback too much to heart. It's always worth analyzing where the feedback is coming from and whether it's more likely to be feedback based on a personal preference or actually credible feedback.

When you get critical feedback from a single person or a few people that feels off to you, you can generally disregard it, especially if it conflicts with the majority feedback. For example, if three people says your morally gray protagonist makes no sense, but ten people don't have that issue, you can probably assume your protagonist is fine. If you give your story to six classmates, and all six of them feel the morally gray protagonist doesn't make sense, it's worth considering why all six out of six people feel that way. Are they saying it doesn't make sense because they expect a character to be either good or bad, or are they saying it doesn't make sense because something you laid out in the story is conflicting with the idea that this character is morally gray?

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not to listen to feedback, but especially in a creative writing class, I wouldn't take the negative feedback too much to heart. If it's one person's opinion, smile, nod, and thank them for their opinion. If it's five people with the same opinion, take some time to consider whether there could be some merit to what they're saying. In any case, don't take it personally. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[write-on-world]

Kalashnikov Concern JSC - Makarov PM

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Text: I dread the living courtroom. Though I have died and come back several times since we last met, I have the terrible feeling it will remember it sentenced me to seven full lives.

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Do you ever just start writing and then it's a few thousand words later, and you're just like, 'Where the hell did any of this come from? This was not the plan. Wtf?'

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Deep Water Prompt #604

His hair wasn’t white. It was completely clear.

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Deep Water Prompt #867

She hummed a lullaby as the straightened her skirt, fixed her hair, and got on with poisoning the pie.

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Deep Water Prompt #3270

My hair is full of magic, coveted, the stuff of legend. So, I strip it, matt it, tie it into knots, ruin it in any way I can. If I cut it, it will only grow back healthy.

[write-on-world]

Writing Prompt #2668

"He's a monster!"

"He's a hot monster, though."

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Art by Art of Grelin

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Art by Natcha Ngamtweerat

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NaPoWriMo Vol. 3, 4.15.24 “Stamps“

Let me pay the postman Who sends my s.w.a.k. away Let me pay with penance With pennants and reminders Remainders of my taxes Waxing moons and bent and broken spoons Let me pay the postman Who sends my parcel to partners With letters laced with love Doodles and daliance And not delays But in many many ways Let me pay the postman Who sends my love’s my love With scribbles and scrabbles Points both high and low With leaves and petals And victorious medals Please postman let me pay

@env0writes C.Buck   Ko-Fi & Venmo: @Zenv0 Support Your Local Artists!   Photo by my friend Mika

[write-on-world]

Different Ways to Describe Eye Colors

↳ a masterpost for writing prompts that describe eye colors

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Brown Eyes

Blue Eyes

Green Eyes

Hazel Eyes

Unusual Eyes

Gray Eyes

Heterochromia Eyes

Black Eyes

White Eyes

White/Silver Eyes pt 2

Hazel Green Eyes

Gold/Yellow Eyes

Reddish-Brown Eyes

Red Eyes

[write-on-world]

Prompt #1,258

"I'm tired, babe, and I've been tired for a long, long time,"

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“I hate how you feel the need to argue with everything I say!”

“As if it’s my fault all your opinions are objectively wrong!”

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"Tomorrow's your birthday."

"Is it."

"You want to do anything?"

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“Beneath the Roses"

I bury my secrets here,

In the meadow of fear

Deep in the soil - I am free from troubles coil

In their earthy embrace, they lie

Without view of the heavenly sky

I plant a rose above each one

A bloom to grace their silent slumber

Each petal a promise to keep them under

Beneath the roses roots corrode

Those secrets stay forever untold