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Useful Habits (45-50) - Coggle Diagram
Useful Habits (45-50)
Critics
Learn from them
Tolerate unreasonable
Correct mind-set can transform nasty/petty criticism into gold
Positive attitude towards criticism will help you grow
Convert debate into conversation
Can conclude with both sides learning
Never defend your work
Explain what your were trying to do
Can convert adversary into ally
There can be no arguing about matters of taste
Be slow to respond to negative criticism to give yourself time
People are more likely to criticize via email/web
Be your own harshest critic
Identify ways your work could be better
Support
Recruit your own support group
Create corp of helpers
Find helper who keeps you going/understands your idiosyncrasies
Finder helper willing to read with focus you provide
Is this too baptist? Do you find this interesting?
Finder experts in subject matter
May start as interview subjects
Evolve into sounding boards/confidants
Who will help figure out what works and what doesn't
Show interest
Be interested in crafts that support your work
To do best, help others
Writing is a social activity
Will be involved in decisions on how work is presented/perceived
Cross-disciplinary education is setup for future creativity
Early drafts
Limit self-criticism
Early criticism will turn you to stone
Turn it loose during revisions
During early stages harness the unconscious
Tools
Own the tools of your craft
Build "writing workbench"
How writers work
Idea
Develop a nose for news; be aware
Detect when something is in the air
Transform story into focused idea
Collect
Words, images, details, facts, quotes, dialog, documents, scenes, expert testimony, eyewitness accounts, statistics, and the "name of dog"
Focus
Go deep to determine what story is really about
Careful research
Sifting through evidence
Critical thinking
Expressed as title, first sentence, summary paragraph, theme statement, thesis, question story will answer, one perfect word
Draft
Select the best stuff
Good writers cut material that does not contribute to central focus
Recognize an order
Work from a plan
At a minimum, need beginning, middle, ending
Begin the draft, can be fast and free or meticulous
Clarify
Writing is rewriting
Computers allow us to improve our work at speed of light
Disassemble
Break long projects into parts
Then, assemble pieces into whole
Pay attention to the way large works are divided