Best Crit Ever
Last night we had our monthly meeting of Critical Mass, our local workshop. Usually our critiques tend to be a bit rambling and tentative, or at least mine do, but last night's most incisive crit came from new writer (and my former Clarion student) Ian Tregillis.
I reconstruct it as best as I can:
"If I'm feeling oppressed and need to unburden myself, and my choice of audience is between a woman who loves me and the man who tortured me by running electric current through my balls, then I'll pick the woman. Even though I don't love her and she might misunderstand and cause a problem I'll have to deal with later, I'll pick the woman, because at least she's not running an electric current through my balls!"
That summed things up rather well, I thought.
I reconstruct it as best as I can:
"If I'm feeling oppressed and need to unburden myself, and my choice of audience is between a woman who loves me and the man who tortured me by running electric current through my balls, then I'll pick the woman. Even though I don't love her and she might misunderstand and cause a problem I'll have to deal with later, I'll pick the woman, because at least she's not running an electric current through my balls!"
That summed things up rather well, I thought.
Labels: Critical Mass, writing
posted by dubjay at 2:07 PM
4 Comments:
It had to be said.
I also tried to defend my twisty logic,
as I recall.
As described by WJW your logic seemed pretty straightforward to me, Ian. A possible future problem seems better than electricity through the balls, and I don't even have balls. If, however, the unburdening might result in a cessation of the electricity, then I'd switch over and make the electrocutor my new bff, pronto.
As the recipient of the insightful crit I will only add my amen. The twisty logic will be added when I go back for the final pass on the book.
Ian was also the guy who pinpointed the problem on another work. He gets the cookie for the evening.
I was also particularly fond of your new anthology idea. THE WE TOLD YOU SO series.
It was a night of many great laughs and some spectacularly great critiques.
Melinda
Spectacularly great critiques come a lot easier with spectacularly great manuscripts.
I seem to remember that yours, my dear WJW, was received with mostly stunned silence, which among lesser souls (none on board) might be interpreted as envy.
With one exception, but I'll plead spoilers.
-Sage
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