I have a love/hate relationship with the commenting process. I’m great with giving positive feedback and moral support, but I’m horrible with giving constructive criticism. I myself am really sensitive to critique, so I worry when I’m trying to give constructive advice on somebody else’s project or blog post that I’ll come off as too harsh.
I suppose I’m not used to commenting on other people’s work in the way we do it in this class because most of the time, if I’m commenting on someone else’s work in my field, it’s because they did something wrong or I’m critiquing them as part of an assignment. It’s pretty cut-and-dry that way.
When I leave comments of any kind I try really hard to focus on a particular writing strength that person has. I think it’s important that people know their strengths in writing because if you struggle with it, you know there’s at least one thing you’re good at. It could be their style of writing, the way they describe the scenes and people, or just simply how they write dialogue. Everyone struggles with writing in one way or another, so in those ‘blocked’ moments I want that person to think about their writing strength to push through it.
Concerning the comments I get, I get really happy and excited when I see that someone enjoyed my story, particularly the descriptions. I thrive off describing the scenery, the smells, the texture of whatever is the focus of my writing at that point. I like for my stories to be immersive, a short vacation.
I have gotten a few negative comments (not as in rude - more constructive than anything else), and sometimes I struggle with reading them just because it sounds like the person didn’t enjoy the story. That’s not necessarily the case, but regardless… it still bugs me.
I’m glad that commenting is available though, because it enables we students to grow as authors through the help of our peers.
In the end, we all help each other out.
Image Credit: Roger H. Goun
I completely agree with you on the commenting process. I too try to focus on the positive aspects of a person's writing abilities. I also am a little sensitive to negative or constructive criticism. I feel ya on that. I definitely take it to heart when I need to correct something in my story or post, but it does bother me that I didn't catch it or notice it first. I know I'm not perfect, but I strive to get as close to perfection as I can with my writing and everything else. The picture and the saying underneath it is so true. We are all just trying to help each other out so that our stories are the best they can be. The picture was so cure that I felt "warm fuzzies" when I saw it. It looks like they are the best of friends.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning so much in this class...how to blog, how to comment properly, how to retell stories in my own words, reading so many stories from different cultures and styles...it's been a real pleasure. It has been great getting to "meet" everyone in this class too. I know I've commented on some of your blogs before & I have enjoyed reading your posts. Good luck with the rest of this semester and everything else. :-)