I Would Give Myself 4/5 Stars

One thing that amuses me is how incensed artists (writers included) get over their art.  Trust me, I do it too.  I'm no saint.  Art is a highly personal thing.  The term "brain child" very aptly summarizes the situation.  So it's only natural that we become defensive when our creativity is questioned.

The thing is, our creativity is never the thing in question.  And that's something that took me a long time to really process.  The sheer fact that I'm even trying to create something makes me creative.  So when I receive a critique of my work the feedback is not about my viewpoint.  It's about how well I conveyed that viewpoint.

To put it another way, say I were a sculptor trying to make an elephant out of clay and it turns out looking like a blob.  I show it to someone and that person says it looks nothing like an elephant.  The issue is not about my mental vision.  It's my job as the sculptor to acquire the necessary skills with the medium to convey what I want to convey.

Easier said that done.

It's so important that writers learn how to be self-critical.  If you were reading your own story, what would you rate it?  Looking back at some of my older work, I would give myself a 3/5 stars.  Amusing stories but underdeveloped.  This October will be my fourth year writing and I'm just now getting to a point where I feel like I could be scraping the edge of 4/5 stars.

Will I ever reach a personal rating of 5/5 stars?  To be honest, I really don't know.  It also doesn't matter.  What's important was that I have come to terms with the fact that this is a journey, not a destination.  There's always room for more improvement.


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