Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Staff Study

Staff Study

Problem Statement: I need to determine if I should or should not review the contest submissions of my fellow students and competitors in the Sizzle Class/Quicky Contest.

Facts Bearing on the Problem:

1. Those in the sizzle class are encouraged to submit into the Quicky contest.
2. There are several contestants to the quickie contest who are not taking the class.
3. The class has ten(10) students
4. The class requirement is to write stand-alone vignettes that carry over characters from one episode to the next…The core teaching point is to use sensual prose throughout a student’s work.
5. These stand-alone vignettes end in a consummated act of sexual intercourse.
6. I don’t tend to place well in these contests.

Assumptions Bearing on the Problem:

1. I have an abrasive style of critique that lends itself to misunderstanding…ie I am concerned that the other writes will see my critique as trying to tear them down in order elevate my own lack of self-esteem.
2. It is the current unwritten convention for contestants to refrain from commenting on one another’s work.
3. These are new works and the writers will still be emotionally attached.
4. That the contestants really have a genuine interest in the unsolicited impressions of the other contestants.
5. I have already antagonized enough people at writing.com and don’t need to wear out my welcome.

Advantages

1. I seldom read a work that won’t benefit from feed back from a fresh set of eyes.
2. A writer can learn a lot from someone without an axe to grind, reviewing their work
3. A review that also contains a “Bad Cop” perspective is something that seriously contributes to a write’s development.
4. "Fatal Flaws” in the work can and should be brought to light…(A fatal flaw is defined as something that would cause a publisher to toss the piece in a trash can.)

Disadvantages

1. Writers are a thin-skinned lot and critique can cause misunderstanding and stress to self esteem.
2. A negative comment can grate and bubble…taking the joy from the writing experience and causing them distress and anxiety.
3. A recipient of critique often has paranoid tendencies and rather than accept or reject and get on with life sometimes tries to transfer their hostility back onto the reviewer.
4.The extreme response is the retaliatory review that seeks to offer nothing other getting back at the source.

Courses of Action

1. Do it and quit wringing your hands...wuss!
2. Don't rock the boat.
3. Ask the other contestants first.

Hmmmmm….should I or shouldn’t I….that is the question.