MONDAY FORTUNE COOKIE, 10/14/12

Never judge a work of art by it's defects.

SNARKY RESPONSE:  Hah! Tell that to all the folks who make a professional living out of judging art.

Never judge a work of art by it's defects.

I think today's fortune cookie is about self-criticism as much as it is about external criticism. Most beginning writers, and even experienced writers, can be their own worst critics. We will nitpick and second-guess ourselves into a muddle or a self-induced case of writers block.

Now, I'm not saying that judicious self-editing doesn't have it's place, but it should not become a bludgeon with which we beat our WIP and ourselves into oblivion. Be constructive with that criticism, not destructive. 

It's said that challenges should be considered opportunities and discovering issues with your own writing should be treated the same way. Look at ways to strengthen, tighten, and enliven your work not ways to delay, postpone, or just plain give up.

We have to be fearless. We have to be determined. And we have to be willing to face the good, the bad, and the ugly of our process in order to produce something that we know will be all that is powerful, beautiful, and  worthy of ourselves.

After all, we're doing something a lot of folks just talk about. We're committing ourselves to our dream, putting our visions on paper, and doing the work to reach our goals.

Keep writing and growing!