LITERATURE & WRITING: Feedback

Spinning is not a weblog for reviews (although I’ve done some), critiques (can’t keep my mouth shut sometimes), nor expert advice on writing (no misdemeanors here). But Spinning is a journal of my interests as a writer, a record of my frustrations, inspirations, explorations into narrative.

I’m trying to organize my thoughts this morning into a condensed and readable format on literature. Basically, I seem rebellious to accept some forms of writing as seen in current trends of short stories. And while it cannot be said, I suppose, as far as novels are concerned, because more different styles are published still, while in short story, as far as periodicals–online, or in text–are concerned, the mix of styles is just not available. It seems that if you gear yourself to write for publication, you must gear yourself to write within a style. Now this is being said without complete and more conclusive research, so I do hold myself open to correction, both by you and after further reading, by myself.

Critique as well seems to follow trends. Lately as I read I go back and review the basic elements of writing, story, plot, character, conflict, arc, resolution, etc. But what that does is show me why I didn’t like, or maybe loved a story. I think we need to start at that point, and be allowed to say it: I loved it. I hated it. When seeking the answer to “Why?” we should be coming back–even if it’s the long way around–to something in these basic elements of writing. In other words, even if our answer is something like, “I hated it because I didn’t want the child to die in the end,” there’s often more than softheartedness involved. It very well may be because the author didn’t set the story up to reach that ending comfortably, properly, (I’m not talking twists, here, but planning) to allow acceptance of the resolution or conclusion.

I’m afraid I’m usually rather blunt in my critiques, but I don’t see a need to take a maternal “yes, that’s lovely, dear” attitude with grown up writers. I appreciate the truth myself, and if I’m ever really, really speechless in my opinion, it usually means I either haven’t read it, or stopped or grimaced through it.

More later, when I’m not as rambling as I seem to have gotten back into the habit of being today.