What to Take on Your Writer's Journey #1:

Finding your community of writers

As a writer, I’ve come to discover a few elements vital in my writer’s journey—what upped the game so to speak. I share these key elements in my blog posts on SCBWI-LA Kite Tales publication.

The first of the element is: find your community of writers.

Sharing my writing with other writers was a first step in challenging myself to be a serious writer. While writing is solitary, it doesn’t have to be a solo journey and rather finding your community of writers is highly recommended—it is good for your craft and your soul.
Check out my blog post “Find your community of writers" on Kite Tales.

Supplement to finding your community of writers:
Giving & receiving feedback

Once you have your community of writers, a critical skill is how to give and receive feedback.

Giving feedback on other writers’ pieces and receiving feedback on your pieces help improve your writing. So how to do them well.

Here are tips on giving feedback:

  • Ask if they are looking for specific kind of feedback depending on where they are in their writing.

  • Be specific. Avoid general statements like “I liked it” or “It was good.” Instead “I liked how you used the metaphor of spring to show her feelings without naming the emotion.”

  • Consider the sandwich method of giving feedback: Start with something positive—what is working in the piece. Then offer specific constructive feedback on what could improve. End with something positive.

    o   Be fair and balanced in your comments.

    o   Be gentle, but always be honest.

  • Use questions to ask about what confuses you or what you want to know more about.

  • Use “I” statements instead of “you” statements, e.g., “I’m confused what this paragraph is intending to reveal…”

  • Be generous with compliments.

Here are tips on receiving feedback:

  • When relevant, ask for what areas you need feedback on, e.g., flow/pacing, character development, dialogue, clarity, plot, etc.

  • Listen to/take notes on feedback with an open mind before responding. Think of it as receiving feedback from your reader and it’s good to know how a reader would react to your writing.

  • Consider each feedback but ultimately you get to decide what feedback to accept.

    o   If you feel emotional right after receiving feedback, sometimes it’s good to step away and come back to it after one or few days.

Rieko Mendez