posted
I stumbled across this statement by Kristine Card:
quote:Scott always tells people in writers groups, that no group helps them for more than a year.
So what are we all still doing here?
I guess part of the deal is that I don't actively frag and feedback. I more hang out here because there are other people writing, talking about submitting, and stuff like that which it's good for me to be around, I think. I hope I'm not a total drag, I try to be a linguistics and grammar resource. I try not to frag more than I feedback, which isn't hard because I seldom frag.
I guess in the end, even if we are not helped after a year, we might still help others.
posted
Yeah--he's talking about critique groups, and the idea is that after a year you get to know various people's faults, and the kinds of things they'll complain about in your writing, so that no one has anything new to say (or you've all fixed everything, in which case no one has anything to say at all).
This place is different. For one thing, it consists of a lot more people, and most of them keep changing. For another, a lot of what we do isn't critique, but all sorts of discussions on all sorts of useful topics.
posted
The other thing you have to remember is how this affects the other rule of: "Participate in groups where the other members are at your level of skill or above."
Unless all the participants in your group grow at the same rate (which would be ideal, but rarely ever happens), in a year you may find yourself needing a new peer group. Graduating from Middle School to High School, if you will.
As strange as it sounds, it is sometimes best to be the bottom-feeder, because you will always be the recipient of valuable information.
After a year it's just time for a fresh perspective. You've heard everything Joe can tell you about your writing to help you improve. You need someone to look at it form a different point of view now. To catch flaws that never occurred to Joe.
'Course, the one big flaw in all this is that I have so much trouble finding good groups that I am loathe to lose them at the end of a year.
posted
We have a lot of turnover here. I did ditch my local critique group. I already know what Sally's suggestions would be, and she konws what mine are!
Posts: 2830 | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
This group is not the same as it was 10 months ago when I started.
Different people.
The newbies looking for advice early on are now the wiser, better writers teaching and yet, still asking for advice.
We have new newbies rehashing the same questions and at the same time finding whole new questions that needed to be asked.
There is certainly a point where you realize that your growth is stunted by your current group - if the group is constant. Otherwise its an upward spiral with everyone constantly learning.
posted
Well ladies and gentlemen, I for one am happy that you've hung around. We new guys need to "Participate in groups where the other members are at your level of skill or above."
"You're our above."
(Edited to change 'Us new guys' to 'We new guys' - how's that for honesty!)
[This message has been edited by Wayne (edited August 25, 2006).]
posted
Hey, it's been about a year for me. But, then, I should have stumbled here much sooner than I actually did.
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I think Hatrack was definitely most useful to me during the first year. So many awesome things happened during that year that would never have happened if I hadn't joined.
I do notice that I don't come here to learn anymore. I might occasionally have a question, but that's getting rarer and rarer. I still stick my head in from time to time, and if I feel there is a meaningful discussion I try to participate.
And, while I'm not a regular contributor at Fragments and Feedback, I've also gotten a lot of very helpful feedback there in the past. If I ever use it again, I'll do my best to crit at least 10 for each post I make, which has always been my policy.
Part of the reason I'm not as active right now is that in my life I'm not being a very active writer. I have a really good 'excuse' in the form of a very difficult pregnancy with complications, but it bothers me that I can't write as much as I like. I'm struggling with the knowledge that as a writer, I'm at nearly the same place I was a year ago. That's depressing in the extreme, particularly contrasted to the HUGE jump in knowledge and craft I made the previous year. On the other hand, I have made SOME progress, and I haven't given up yet. I guess that counts for something. But I'm really looking forward to the day when I can say, "Oh, yeah, THAT novel. I've been done with that for years." Instead of "I've been working on the same flipping novel for 8 years now with no end in sight . . ."
And, time passing has helped all by itself. A lot of things are clearer to me now than a year ago, even if I haven't been making much progress on paper. So, hopefully I'll be able to show something decent for it all.
All that to say, while I'm not a majorly active Hatracker right now, I'm still here, and I still think the site is valuable. Keep on truckin'.
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