Wednesday with the Writer's Journal

It is again the Aspiring Writer's Journal Amazon.com: The Aspiring Writer's Journal: Susie Morgenstern, Theresa Bronn: Books for Wednesday.

I am not following it like a journal, doing each assignment on the correct date. I tend to jump around for inspiration. Today, I landed (after only three tries) on October sixth, "Become an editor!" and critiquing a friends novel. I do not have a friend writing a novel, at least none that admit it. Master's daughter is working on Children's Picture books, but says it is slow going with all the rest that life is handing her.

As an art teacher, I know from critiquing student's work that it is always best to begin on a positive. So find something, anything that you can say that is positive. There are many sites telling you how to critique a novel, including: Writing a Critique of a Novel.

We have a little joke in our family. My mother often provides these types of jokes and once she was asked, by a fellow art student, for an opinion on the student's newest painting. Mother had a dilemma: to lie and say something wonderful about it or to tell the truth and hurt the ladies feelings. She paused for a moment, ostensibly studying this great work of art, but really thinking about what to say, and she came up with, "It sure is green."

Amazingly, this pleased the student, who went away smiling and it resolved mom's moral dilemma. It also became family code for 'ugly.' It sure does sparkle, glow, have big flowers, is bright, etc now replaced "awful ugly." There is always something positive you can say, if you look hard enough.

There are many ways to save a writer's feelings and give them information that will help them improve their work. We all started somewhere and usually that was at the beginning. I've always thought that anyone can learn to paint well enough for their own enjoyment, if they spend the time working at it. Like playing piano, it is the hours spent in practice that make the difference.