feedback

the topic of feedback is one that continually needs to be discussed, i think, so i'm bringing it up again here.

most people on this kind of site want it, few are prepared to give it. or, if they do give it, they put little effort into giving it, and a clause at the end to the effect of 'now go and look at my work'.

this is a bit surprising in a way. for critiquing, or secondary prose, is one of the things that professional writers do all the time. often they write more secondary prose than primary prose. sometimes they write better secondary prose than primary prose, and then they're more critic than author. but the writing of good secondary prose is one of the writer's functions.

perhaps abc could try to highlight the importance of critiquing in a literary context in some way, as it has highlighted other genres of literary writing - the diary entries of Bobblehat, Stuart WR, for example.

i certainly think the site needs to treat it more seriously as a genre of writing in itself, because it is something that any real wannabe writers on the site are going to have to do (if they make it as writers) in their writing careers.