Looking for feedback from the Pro's!

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Permalink Reply by Chris Reed on August 26, 2008 at 11:13pm

So I occasionally notice some spelling errors in your writing (like "craw" above...I know you meant "crawl"). It really pains me to do this, and I'm only doing so because you asked!

I will say this though: you have one of the most distinct voices I've seen online, and your ability to draw a crowd with your posts is simply amazing.

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Permalink Reply by Leigh Caraccioli on August 28, 2008 at 8:38pm

I agree with Chris that we all fall into the spelling mishaps. In that one sentence alone I've nearly had to go back and correct every word...its a sickness. But my advise to you, Amanda Blogess, is do not stop your stream of conscious writing style for gramatics. for creative writers I have this advise. Learn what you do well and do it. Then make yourself disciplined to self correct the rest. So, Amanda. Your writing resounds with honesty relevance and intrigue. The rest is a matter of putting on your seatbelt for a moment afterward to re-read your writing. I want you to think about Samuel Clemens master of the vernacular and ponder that a lot of what we misspell could be considered jargon. The key is audience and for whom you are writing. A Giant error can be made by simply not understanding your reader, or as we call it in literature your audience. You are doing awesome. I am amazedd at you!

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Permalink Reply by Alex Sehlhorst on September 26, 2008 at 9:55pm

Well, it's one of my pet peeves, but grammer is actually spelled grammar. Lol, I don't have anything else to nitpick on since I got an F on my high school grammar test a little while ago (shhhh...).

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Permalink Reply by John Dumbrille on September 30, 2008 at 8:55am

Um - you're talking about general feedback about all of your posts? Traffic and specific comments aren't enough?!
I say just keep writing as truthfully as you can, and find out what you have to say. On writing gigs, construct things for specific ends, that are jobbers, that you can live with.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Swingley on September 30, 2008 at 9:55am

John, give me more on your last comment...what do you mean?

On writing gigs, construct things for specific ends, that are jobbers, that you can live with.

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Permalink Reply by John Dumbrille on September 30, 2008 at 1:13pm

Oh -oh Andy...
That'll teach me to write at 6 on the morning... Here goes.

Amanda's a good writer, and is a natural leader. She's writing in a directed way, that is linked to her job. Maybe she isnt always giving her most elegant prose, she is writing steadily, and there's resonance there, and people want to read it. Her stats are arguably the best on this site: she has a following. Plus, I imagine she can probably live with the output - it's probably not rubbing against her grain. So not too much of a problem there! I was probably saying that I think there is writing to pay the bills, and there is writing as a way of life, stuff that you need to write about. I think Amanda's doing a good job at bringing the 2 together. But I'm guessing.

OK, there is the obvious stuff to say, like grammar is spelled with two a's. And I agree that Strunk and White, is a good thing to read. But what is the point of Amanda's writing? I dont know if I can really guess what is needed to make it more effective other than to investigate it. So maybe I should have butted out in the first place.

I play masters soccer, and there are a lot of better players than me in my age class, but I cant let that affect me. Sure, I care about having some skills - the grammar and spelling and stuff of the game - and immersing myself in patterns of play. But at the end of the game, what matters is sustained high impact, not formal distinctions of being a "great player."

This metaphor works for the goal oriented aspect of writing, the jobbers or assignments if you will. The hitting goals part. There is another layer - the writers life as a pursuit of meaning and its meaningful expression. I don't think there's much we can do to help each other with that, though that can spill out into various jobs. All I can say is, Amanda - keep going. I read what you write. Say what you have on your mind. You like direct prose, say it straight. Your stats certainly suggest it's working. I used to like reading Hemingway, Bukowski and Raymond Carver. They're blunt, say what they have to say, and people follow what hey have to say. Maybe they are good models.

I liked my shorter answer more, even if it was oblique. It's all Andy's fault.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Swingley on September 30, 2008 at 2:55pm

That's awesome John, thank you! I sit snickering over a diet coke at a local burger joint on the last line of your response... what a great sense of humor you display.

I take full responsibility for my requested explanation....as you know I am a metaphor fan.....thanks for scratching my itch.

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