Comments on: Why People Take Their Writing So Seriously

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:15:01 +0000

Thanks for the comments. It’s understandable when those who write as a profession or hobby are reluctant to share it. My experience has simply shown that even people who don’t care about writing still can get defensive when someone critiques anything they’ve written under necessity rather than desire.

When it comes to something like painting, something I’m not good at, I would actually expect someone to tell me how to improve.

By: Timber

Timber — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:08:02 +0000

That defensiveness is why I don’t show my poetry to very many people, and even then, I only show my very best poems. Though I do like having a peer group of writers who help each other make the writing better. I think it’s easier to trust someone with your work when you know they are doing the same.

By the way, the dash in the first paragraph “high hurdle–nearly too high” came on my screen as “#821.” The site’s looking good!

By: Ashley Windsor

Ashley Windsor — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:53:48 +0000

I can honestly say that I know what you mean. I took a creative writing class at BYU. I loved the class and learned a lot, but I also remember the terror of peer reviews and I even had nightmares about my professors infamous red pen scribbling all over my precious work. I think that the defensiveness does not just apply to writing. It is common to be defensive about anything you create. I am always a bit nervous when I show one of my paintings to someone. I think it also has something to do with the fact that art of any form is almost always a bit personal and you have to have your guard up when you display something personal for all the public to critique.