In bigger letters for those in the back:
As a critiquer, your job is not to “make this piece of writing better” but to understand what the writer wants to achieve and help them to achieve it
I had a professor in graduate school who said his philosophy for feedback was like a doctor’s oath–first, do no harm, which seemed shocking to hear in an MFA program. I’m much happier operating that way and it’s helped me be a bit kinder to myself about my own work. If I need to give someone notes or feedback I try to come up with something that will honestly, constructively help them, but won’t drive them to abandon the baby birds in their nest, so to speak. (Yeah. I know that’s a myth. I’m a writer. It was an analogy.)
An asshole professor contributed 93% to me leaving grad school
Published
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