Humpty Dumpty & Site Feedback
“I don't know what you mean by ‘glory’,” Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don't — till I tell you. I meant ‘there's a nice knock-down argument for you!’”
“But ‘glory’ doesn't mean ‘a nice knock-down argument’,” Alice objected.
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master — that's all.”
— Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
We all would like to master the use of words.
When I first began studying writing seriously, one of the scariest things I had to do was to join a writer’s group. If you have never heard of that, it’s basically a group of writers — typically 5-7 — that get together every week to share what they have written and, more importantly, get feedback from the other members.
As important as such an exercise is, it can be terrifying to put your work out there like that. Not only are you displaying it for all to see, but you’re actually asking them to tear it apart.
And while this obviously can make your writing much better, you still feel a bit like you just delivered your child to a ravenous pack of wolves.
The same applies to any content that you are developing for your site now. Whether written, audio, or even video, you’re still putting yourself out there.
But as scary as it is, you have to have your work critiqued by others. Here’s why…
At the end of the day, we’re all simply too close to our own writing. And I’m not even talking about how you think you’re the smartest or funniest person on the planet, but no one else does (although that’s a part of it.)
What I’m really talking about is the way we communicate.
How Communication Works
As you probably know, there is a bit of a formula we follow in order for communication to occur. You need a minimum of three ingredients: a sender, a receiver, and a message.
If you are the writer, then naturally this means you’re the sender. This also means that your reader is the receiver. Your writing, of course, is the message. But this is where things usually get gummed up…
Like our friends Alice and Humpty Dumpty, we might know what we’re trying to say. The question is, however, are we actually communicating what it is that we are trying to say?
In other words, just because we “know” what it is that we are trying to say, it does not always guarantee that our readers actually get it. Sometimes what we say and what they “hear” can be two totally different things.
So, how can you determine if what you meant is actually what you said? That’s where the writing critiques come in. The only true way to find out is to have other people read your work and tell you what you said (i.e. what they “heard”.)
You might find it surprising how many different interpretations of the same sentence or paragraph you get... I know I did the first time.
The fact is that we don’t always communicate as clearly as we would like. Moreover, because of our close proximity to our own work, other people will catch things that we missed. As writer's we're sometimes blocked from seeing our own mistakes because we "know" what we said, so our brains fill in the blanks.
You don’t have to only use the WA tools. There are lots of places you could communicate with fellow members, such as SiteFeedback, the Comments sections, Live Chat, etc.
And don’t feel restricted to just the formal methods. Even something as simple as checking in with an accountability partner by phone once a week to gauge your progress is better than nothing.
You need site feedback for a very simple reason: none of us is as good or smart as all of us.
Leave a comment and reach out to other WA members about possibly forming a writer’s group either online or in your local area.
Recent Comments
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I like this phrase, "As writer's we're sometimes blocked from seeing our own mistakes because we "know" what we said, so our brains fill in the blanks."
It's true.
Yes. This little trick of our brain is why we often miss typos that others can spot right away... our brain knows what it's supposed to look like, so that's what it "shows" us. It's quite annoying when you're self-editing. lol
There are times when I'm seriously thinking and what I write is other than what was in my mind.
It is true that it is difficult to trust someone to judge our work. But an outside eye is often needed, we do all this work for people so it is good that our articles are quality and the best way is to let other people give us a fair and construsive opinion.
Ingrid
Excellent point. Trust is needed, but we also should be "selective". If someone's advice just seems, well, wrong, we should consider it may simply be a difference of opinion. If 2 or 3 people say the same thing, however, it is likely a real issue. Thanks for sharing :-)
I know a translator, they are fluent in seven diverse languages, one word or sentence can have many diverse meanings and outcomes.
For writers, the message is clear, it can be surprising how the message can be lost in the translation.
An emerging trend is that people don't read anymore, but rather scan, by scrolling and then fill in the blanks.
Having that extra set of eyes cast a look over your content can be invaluable.
I think this can be critically important when it comes to sales copy.
Some excellent points and advice, AJ.
Excellent advice AJ. It is easy to misinterpret some one else's message. Therefore, it must be easy for others to do the same with mine. I never thought much about this before. Maybe I should practice using some of the methods you suggest. Except phones, I hate talking on phones. Jim
Seems like an awesome opportunity. I managed call centers and teams of call takers. We always had scripts for them to follow and would listen to calls, analyze and coach.
I look at writing a blog as no different. We should have information, message to communicate readily when the calls come in, yet we also practiced and calibrated with each team member in groups. this made their process even better, so I understand what you are saying of the need for critique
Nice post, Aj. I always hope to get suggestions and real feedback using Site Feedback. This is a good reminder that we should be giving other websites a real going over so we can help others have a better website. While I love positive feedback :), it doesn't give me room for improvement. Thank you! Paula
Yes, as much as it feels good, sometimes "positive" feedback can hurt more than it helps. That's why I never ask my close friends or family to read my work anymore before it's published... they wouldn't tell me if if stinks anyway. lol
Thanks for sharing :-)
Oh so true. Having someone review your work is scary, but so necessary. When I first started writing I had to submit my stuff to the proofreader. What a humbling experience to have your beautiful (I thought) work reduced to rubble!
Accountability...we all have to have it.
Great post. Great information.
Joe
Yes, it is a very humbling experience. Yet, a good critique will aim to ultimately build you up, not just tear you down. Thanks for sharing.
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This is so true AJ. Quite often, well, more often than not, actually most of the time, nearly always in fact. I have to read through and adhere to the punctuation. Pausing or stopping as I'm reading. This helps me to understand better what the reader will be 'hearing' when they read it.
You're right though, there is no better pair of eyes, than someone else's.
One tip you might try is actually reading each sentence backwards starting at the end. It disrupts the memory pattern in our head and things like punctuation can really jump off the page since we're not expecting it. Warning, however... as great as this technique is, it is absolutely exhausting, so it's best done in short bursts over time.
Next 'writing time' is Tuesdya, so I will try that then. Thank you.