Several times a week I smile at the window that displays the fine words, “Your blog post published successfully!” It's a sign of satisfaction for some and a relief of making a deadline for others. We all know what it feels like to be bloggers by now.
When we began workshopping I thought it would be a rather interesting experience. To my surprise though, I've felt like some have really become too nit-picky. I understand that this is an advanced English course, but we are not talking about writing novels, we are discussing blogs. Yes, point out the grammar problems. Point out the misspelled words and the fragments of sentences, but don't criticize someone for their style unless it really is a problem and their readability is at stake. If you don't care for someones layout, suggest they do something else with it rather than say it “just doesn't work.” Yesterday Rachel brought up the point that Brandon's new layout had problems and that his old one might have worked better. This is a positive suggestion.
Workshops are meant to be helpful to the writer. I have yet to be workshopped or present a workshop, but I know that as I sat in class on several occasions I felt like the blogger was being attacked in a way. The mood in this class is normally somewhat relaxed, and we should try to keep it that way.
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3 comments:
Monica, you took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to post on the same topic, but you just beat me to the punch.
I did feel yesterday that one blogger was being attacked about their style. It is my understanding that one style is not the same in each person. Therefore, saying someone's style does not work is an insult and causes someone to feel belittled. I also agree if someone doesn't like something, they should make suggestions instead of saying it is necessary to the blogs success.
When the next workshopping days come around, it is my hope that people will understand workshopping as helping someone instead of putting them down.
Although some workshops may seem too harsh, I would rather hear an overly-critical perspective than one that worships the blog. One's style, even if it doesn't pose a massive blockade to understanding the blog itself, is a major issue in the "advanced composition course" Harrison is trying to teach.
Even though he has left the specific critiques up to us for now, I think the more "nit-picking" angles are more valuable to the writer than just ignoring stylistic issues, which, when ignored, can become stylistic problems.
There is a difference between enlightenment and insult, and we should not be overly sensitive to those that wish only to help.
I agree with Todd. I found the criticism leveled at me(like the new color scheme, the length of posts, and the esoteric subject matters) more helpful than the praise. While I like hearing praise, it does not help me construct a better blog as much as precise criticism does.
Thicker skin and a wish to improve, not justify, our blogs would benefit us all during the Workshops.
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