Re: [bookclub] Prose style in 'Losing Your Grip'

[mfischer5@aol.com (MFischer5)]

From: "Philip Goetz" pgoetz@i-a-i.com 
>There are many writers' workshops; there is disagreement on how
>useful they are.  Some people say the most useful thing is having
>your own work criticized.  Some say it is more useful to see
>someone else's work criticized.  I don't understand why the
>distinction.

I don't know, but here's a guess:

When you get your own work critiqued, then you are getting direct feedback into
your writing style. The advantanges of that should be pretty obvious. However,
some people might find it difficult to sit back and objectively watch people
shred the piece that they've poured their soul out into and try to learn from
it. For them, it might be better to just sit there and listen to comments about
other works, and apply that to their own work in the saftey of their home
without feeling "attacked" or going on the defensive. It's probably more
dependant on the personality of the author, than on any overriding strength of
either method.

But that's just a guess,
Kathleen