finding balance.

I shared with some close friends and got some really positive feedback. They weren’t exactly the most critical of people, but I think it really helped that they all knew me well enough that they knew the stories I was outlining were very personal and very real. I was not necessarily scared to share with these people because I knew they would be as honest with me as I am with them in what I wrote. Plus, they weren’t going to be put off or disturbed by my content. I knew that they knew that I could take whatever they had to say on what I wrote. At the same time, I wished they would have been slightly more critical and asked for more specifics, so I’m not quite satisfied with their feedback, but I am fine with that. Here are some of the things they said:


L. - “I like the way you tell your stories. It’s very honest. They’re very personal, but everyone can still relate to them; it's balanced. The way you see things, is very creative and honest.”
P. – “One particular strength I think you have in your writing is that you convey the context well while separating your personal emotion from it. The first essay was personally intense and a struggle. The second felt so much like what was happening was happening, and finally at the end of it all came the bitterness, then the powerful scripture. And finally the third was also conveyed well emotionally, it seemed like you had a sporadic reaction to life changing news and the comparison of running and not going was key. Without a doubt you have your own style.”
J. – At first was saying how she wanted to know more about the last one and after prying a bit, she said: “Yes I wanted to know more. I guess you just knew that you didn't want to go, but I felt like I needed a reason for why you decided not to. And if you were unable to give me a reason, maybe at least a reason why you felt like you needed to run. And was running a metaphor? Yeah... I don't know lol. It's like you went from a to c. But maybe I don't see the b because I'm not Mormon lol” Which makes total sense and I didn’t write about that part anyway. This feedback was the most constructive.

R. – “I think that I really like the situations you chose, because they let you in on some very personal thoughts, while the outsiders in those situations had no idea such deep and real thoughts were going on. In each one, the people around moved on and it has faded away in their memories, but for you these were very real and life changing experiences.”
A. – “I loved this. Your description of smoking was void of any tired clichés I had heard before; I mean "It was an overwhelming high, where I felt like a lava lamp with an insatiable case of the munchies"? Perfect word choice. Also, your honesty was what I most appreciated as a reader; your writing was REAL (sorry no italics) and that made me feel what you were feeling (especially in regards to marijuana and missions).”



I really enjoyed sharing my writing but I need to find a balance of those who will be critical and those who will not be put off by the content of my writings.