04.23.01
If only my classmates in Creative Writing would understand that the suggestions and criticisms I make on their stories are in their best interest to follow.
I am intelligent, witty, and a good barometer of what is right and wrong in the written content of other people's work. I am, however, terribly biased towards my own writing.
If I understand a point of meaning in a story, and no one else in the class seems to, it is because the rest of the class is populated with idiots.
When my interpretation of a story is the one that the writer intended, then it is correct, and the writer has done a good job of conveying his/her message. If my interpretation of a story isn't the one that the writer intended, then the writer needs to work on making the plot and message clearer -- if I can't see it, obviously the rest of the world won't either.
If I suggest that a character should be cut from the story, or a scene should be written in greater detail, I only do so because it is desperately important to the overall improvement of the piece. I only offer examples of how to fix these errors because I feel compelled to demonstrate ways to make the story even better. If these suggestions are ignored, the piece will only suffer for the ignorance of the author.
When I edit the punctuation, grammar, spelling and the overal format of a story I am critiquing, it is only because the story is in desperate need of a good tweaking and polishing. I only say things like, "There is an interesting feature inherent to most word processing programs called 'spelling and grammar check'. In the future I suggest that you utilize this feature before turning in your stories." or "Don't be afraid of the comma or the apostrophe, as they are your friend. Learn to embrace them and you will go far in the literary world, brave soul."* because I know that injecting humor into criticism will sometimes make the blow a little softer, and I know that it is always appreciated.
Things would be much easier if people would just give me their stories, let me fix the errors and edit the content myself, and then hand them back in to the teacher. Everyone in the class would get excellent grades, and the world would be a brighter place. Unfortunately, I do not have the time for that sort of commitment to the arts.
Que Sera, Sera.
*These are actual comments I have made on people's critiques. I can only see the "words" teh or dosent (doesn't) so many times before I am forced to lash out. People actually have 3 page paragraphs that in reality should have not only been split up into 20 different paragraphs, but also should have had at least two major spacing demarcations to show the passage of time or change of space within the story. It positively gives me fits.
