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Last updated
2/28/2003
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We have set up a YAHOO!Groups site for communication. It is TLP_Writers@yahoogroups.com. Please, sign up, either directly from Yahoo Groups, or simply by sending an email to TLP_Writers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com . Remember, the point is positive criticism. Please, before posting, be sure to read this essay from Piers Anthony written for this group. Thanks.
When I was on my way up from unsold writer to little-known writer, I
managed to get together by mail (snail - email did not exist then) with
several other hopefuls. We each sent our material to the others, and
exchanged criticisms, laboring to improve. And it worked: most of us
did
manage to sell some stories, and even some novels, eventually. So this
is
a process I can recommend - and now it is much easier and faster via
the
Internet. So I say, go for it here.
But we did have some horrendous blowouts, alienating each other. So
that
experience causes me to recommend caution. You want to avoid Scylla
and
Charibdis, and steer a channel between the dangers of left and right.
Don't praise junk to avoid hurt feelings, but also don't be abusive.
The
key is to find ways to criticise positively. It is an art that can be
tricky to develop. I know, having hade half a slew of enemies. Maybe
think of it this way; "If I were receiving this criticism, instead of
sending it, how would I react?" Then delete the words "utter crap" and
substitute "needs work," and offer positive suggestions. You may still
get
a blazing response because writers have hides that are like the surface
of
soap bubbles, and can reply savagely to even implied criticism. But do
your best to neither a criminal nor a victim be, and it can work out.
Piers Anthony
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