Week 10

This week we began our two to three minute presentations on our chosen literary journals. We did not have time to get through all of the class so we will contine the presentations next Monday. We had a workshop day. We were to bring in five copies of a new or revised copy of a flash fiction story or poem we have written so that our classmates could read it and give constructive critisms to help create a better piece.

I did not present my literary journal yet this week, there was not time. I just sat back and listened to my classmates present their journals. They all did a really good job. They had very well though out presentations. I was impressed by the variety of presentation styles and the varied information that each person found important to stress about their particular journal. Some of the journals seemed like they had strange themes or niche audiences, others seemed like very successful journals with large mainstream followings. I am excited about the revision process and the feedback of my classmates. It is very difficult to have any kind of perspective when reading ones own work. I happen to think that everyting I write is borderline terrible, and I think that specific suggestions from readers might help me to improve my work as opposed to just trashing it.

Reading the online journals and experiencing the revision process has made me think about how the reader affects a piece of work. Does a writer write for themself or do they write for the reader? It is a very important distinction. If a writer wrote only for themself then revision would not be terribly important and there would be no need to have outside input. Once the writer was happy with a piece it would be finished, and probably only occasionally published. A writer who wants their work to be seen and published has to write with a reader in mind. They have to understand what message or immage they are trying to convey with their work and be open to feedback. As a writer I may think that I've conveyed my image successfully however, a reader may feel confused or get an entirely different perception of the work than I intended.