Manuscript Feedback That’s Gracious yet Demanding
In an issue of The Writer’s Chronicle from a few years ago, teacher Catherine Wallace wrote an interesting article on how to solicit manuscript feedback from editors, teachers, classmates, friends, family, whomever. She discussed the dangers of fault-finding criticism while outlining what kind of feedback she believes is most helpful. She argues that caring for a manuscript is not unlike raising children: you must praise them for behaving. Otherwise, fault-finding reverses creative momentum. It drives the writer back to what’s already written…
The Inspiring Idea of Being a Linchpin
A few weeks ago, I came across the perfect book to inspire new behavior. It’s called Linchpin by Seth Godin. Godin is a motivational guru and book writer who writes about living up to one’s potential at a job. But Linchpin is about more than succeeding in business, it’s actually about succeeding as an artist. For Godin, the word “artist” is synonymous with the word “linchpin.” He believes that in our highly competitive, fast-changing world you have to be a creative, problem-solving spirit who…
