ROW80 Round 1 - 4th Update

hmm... As far as getting new writing done goes, this week hasn't been much better than the last, with health issues still refusing to leave me alone (incidentally, doctors have looked at my MRI and decided that my head isn't likely to explode in the next 24 hours, but beyond that, they have no idea what causes the severe migraine/nausea/dizziness/passing out thingies I keep having). I did (sort of) manage to finish chapter 1. However, while some parts of it were respectable, other bits of it were literally thrown in at the last second so I could say I had finished a chapter; in other words, they're not particularly good hehe Most of these dodgy bits will be more or less thrown out entirely, with those sections being rewritten from scratch.

We did, however, have our first proper writing workshop meeting on Saturday, with two of us presenting work for critiquing. I was up first (the sacrificial lamb, so to speak) and I workshopped my first five pages of chapter 1. Aside from the odd person reading a fragment of my work and sending it back with some basic suggestions, this was the first time in more than three years where I have had the opportunity to submit a piece of writing to rigorous examination and criticism. It was a little nerve-wracking; being away from the workshopping environment for so long had me wondering not only if my writing was still decent (as most people seemed to think in TAFE), but also if I was still up to giving in-depth feedback on other people's writing.

It turned out to be a very productive session, both for the workshoppers and the workshoppees. Everyone there felt driven to write, inspired by the creative atmosphere. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the other writers bring to the table in the future. I got a lot of suggestions for my own piece of writing; some issues pointed out were so obvious I wondered how they'd slipped by in the first place, while others were more subtle but still had a great impact on the effectiveness of the chapter. I have a lot of work ahead of me to improve it for its next incarnation. But this is a good thing. The only real way to make a piece of writing better is to put it in front of others, carefully consider the feedback they give and, where appropriate, make changes that reflect that feedback to bring the writing to the next level. I'm sure we all know writers who believe that their work is Perfect and that any criticism of it is Wrong...

Anyway... Time for this writer to have lunch :)

Judgemental Dog is always so judgemental:

I should probably take him for a walk so he stops guilt-tripping me...

(see other ROW80 blogs here)