Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Leading With Your Chin

Leading with your Chin…

Every time a writer posts something….they are publishing….albeit a very low rung on the publication ladder….still it is a rung because in doing so a writer transitions from a spectator (reader) to a player (Writer.)

Instead of someone with a passive interest in literature you become someone with an active interest....someone who lays it on the line.

I used to tell people in my professional life that in order to get nit-picked you have to be doing something to begin with....It is certainly possible and many make a career out of it...i.e doing nothing and thereby avoiding all criticism.

SO! If you are determined to be a writer instead of just a reader then people are going to take shots at you...If they are jealous you can expect a few low blows...but keep this in mind....there is much to be learned in conflict and from our enemies we often learn the most valuable lessons. Just because you hate someone doesn't mean that everything they are saying is bogus and totally without merit....It is human nature to want to do this but if you want to gain an edge in life learn from your detractors. On the other hand, if they are well meaning, that is with no personal axe to grind...they are going to tell you something....Most of the time it will be what they think you want to hear. That has some social value and many here at writing.com are here for some encouragement....now that too has value but it doesn't do much to improve you as a writer. Most of that is going to be worthless in a practical sense....if you want good advice on how to improve as a writer buy a Dummies Book.

Now this is important so listen up....we are not the greatest of judges of what we write....Others often see in what we do things that are not transparent to us. Sometimes these are good things and sometimes they are not so good things....Here at writing.com views are the acid test if what you have written has merit....If you get a lot of views then you need to go back and look at what you did well because that is what spikes views....If you write something lousey nobody is going to give it more than a brief glance before moving on....if it is "so/so" they will read it thrugh and go on to something else without so much as a second thought.....but if they really like it they will tell a friend and that is what accounts for a spike in views....Something that is good that spreads by word of mouth.

Thus when you get a piece that spikes you have an important piece of feedback that tells you that you did something well.....it is ten times better that a review from a well wisher or someone in your support group telling you how great you are.