For each of my creative pieces to be considered “outstanding and show potential for publication”, I had to get marks of 85-100 %.
Here is what I’ve achieved:
Freewrite (autobiographical piece) – 81%
Short story- 84%
Poetry – 81%
Life writing – 78%
Writing for a particular magazine – 81%
So there you have it, gorgeous bloggie friends.
For now I’m feeling like I’m forever destined to be the bridesmaid and never the bride – because I really tried with these pieces and they’re still not good enough. Aaaaaargh!
Charlie says: I’m not bored with your whingeing I’m just resting my eyes. Honest.
Have a 100% marvellous Monday everyone!
36 comments:
Hmm. So what does your teacher (and I'm guessing the teacher is human because they obvioulsy are clueless on you talent!) say you oughta do so can quite being a bridesmaid? looks like your SO close--however, they're human..and I am a cat. I know things BETTER than them.
Hang in there--you ARE a bride!
Noir
Happy Monday and Happy Dreams, Charlie!
Come on, Kitty! The cat bowl is half full, not half empty. Those scores are great, and you are so close to reaching outstanding.
(And it would dilute the meaning if the high scores were handed out like candy.)
You CAN do it.
So look at the bright side, Jenn: a little fine tuning and all of your work will be considered ready for publication...Hang in there and believe in yourself=you are already almost there!!...Good luck and happy week...Kisses to Charlie...xo...Calle, Halle, Sukki
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...you just need the right beholder, problem solved. Hey Charlie, looking good dude!
fret not overmuch, kit... those're great initial marks, things will get better :)
kenny sez: hi charlie!
I know I don't have to tell you this, but learning to be a great writer is a process. (Published) writers are made, not born. The ones who succeed are the ones who never give up! This just means that you've taken a great course that sets the bar high. I'm sure you've learned a ton and will continue to learn and develop, just as we're all doing. And with Charlie in your corner, of course you're gonna make it!
We say other people's opinions are codswallop. Having said that, we want to opine that we enjoy your writing very much!
:)
Well, I think you are a wonderful writer... maybe it is just a matter of time (and the right topic of writing) and you'll get there.
Very nice results in 'Short Story' and pretty good in all others though!
Kitty, they are brilliant marks, it's only one person's opinion at the end of the day.
Keep writing!
Well, your instructor is marking subjectively, don't forget. He can try to be objective, and as far as technical ability, he can be. But in other respects, personal biases/preferences have to come into play.
I think you did fabulously well, frankly, and should celebrate your achievement!
Kitty kisses to Charlie and happy Monday to you both! :-)
Those are brilliant marks. I can see how it must be frustrating to be so near but not quite there yet, but it won't take much more to get there.
And as some of your other commenters have pointed out, you may already be there. Have you submitted much yet?
We think that your teacher is jealous of your writing and is marking you down so there is no competition. What's up with those marks - you should be delighted that you are so close to brilliant.
Charlie doesn't care about the marks because he loves you anyway.
Aw, don't let it get you down! Two things - 1) writing is a process, and it's not a bad thing if you're writing isn't perfect yet for everyone and all markets, and 2--
This stuff really is subjective! The stuff that my writing group (which included a pretty well-known career novelist) LOVED was rejected when I sent it out, and two poems that no one really liked were accepted. It's great that you're taking a class (I'm jealous!) about writing, but you can't take anyone's opinion *too* seriously, kwim?
Also, love Charlie today and your quote for him! Too cute!
We think those scores are great too. Besides, like Noir said, who is this teacher. Obviously they don't know what they are talking about. You are a terrific writer. Just keep trying. Don't give up.
Have a great week.
Oh, hi Charlie you are looking good and doing a great job keeping your Mom company
Hey Old Kitty. Please don't be despondant about this! Your results are really very high, and this is based on your tutor's say-so - he/she isn't the editor for every magazine, or the publisher / agent for every literary house. Although grammar etc can be marked, writing is really very subjective - in the eye of the beholder and all that jazz. Keep at it, and keep going - everything is practice, and it's all a learning curve. :)
Your sores are brilliant.. Keep it up and you will have top for sure.. Love the sleepy Charlie picture.. Hugs GJ xx
Those are fantantastic marks, Old Kitty! where I come from your an A student!
I understand your frustration in being so close to the 85% but you have to believe in your writing, it will outlive pesky teachers...
I'd an english teacher who said I was so bad at english that I was "barely capable of passing a pass english exam" let alone ever attempt an honours english Leaving certificate paper. She was wrong but she had the authority to keep me out of a class I loved. (I got in) I've forgotten her name but not the lesson! Believe. Believe. Believe!
Take care!
Have a lovely Monday-Magellan is already in trouble-last night he chewed the fax cord and this morning I woke up to him chomping on my speaker cord-gone split in two.
Just keep chugging along toward your dreams! It's your drive and ambition (and Charlie's approval) that will take you far!
Oh, that's such harsh marks! But, remember that if your course tutor were an agent, he would still only be but one opinion, and there may very well be others who would have taken your work on. That said, I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that you get the scores you're hoping for!
Our mama has discovered in her lifetime (she's really old) that it is usually much better to be the bridesmaid than to be the bride........and she has also discovered that a LOT of teachers have no idea what they are teaching!!!!!!! Hang in there!!!!!
Hey, Charlie, you're looking mighty grand today!!! xxxxxxxxxxxx
Keep working, Old Kitty. Remember, every word you write you get closer to publication. And it only takes one 'yes'!
awe, you'll get there! I still wonder if my first ms will ever been 'good enough'. Keep at it!
But, once you revise one more time (based on the teacher's feedback) you will be there! Right?
But getting very very close - especially on the short story!
Do you feel as if you know some things you could do to get it up to the next level next time? That's the main thing!
I used to have to mark student essays and the most frustrating thing of the lot was to have to give someone a mark which was *just* below the threshold for a first class essay. I felt awful when I did it especially when it was somebody who loved their subject but if I overmark it this time then s/he'll never know what s/he really needs to do to produce something outstanding the next time around!
I still used to hate those borderline marks when I got them myself though.....
Keep stretching upwards! You and Charlie :)
I know exactly how you feel. I've been at this game a decade and while I have published short stores here and there over the years it is the title of novelist I seek and as yet no one ones to hitch their dreams to mine.
Keep battling though perseverance is a huge part of this courtship..
I wouldn't let "grades" discourage you Jennifer! I am sure many published writers would have scored much less than you did. Grades are so subjective, especially when they are evaluated by one teacher. Keep writing and exploring subjects and themes and just keep writing and submitting works to magazines and publishers..I think you are very talented and will be published one day!
You can't put a mark on creativity and even if it was a precise measure you did really well in your subjects. I think you are being very hard on yourself Please keep trying and don't let it set you back.
O.K.,
Remember, you're being given scores by someone who may want you to enroll in more classes. From what I've read here, you have a great tone, you're able to write about many different subjects, & you love to write. Those scores should only encourage you to keep writing because they really don't mean a thing. Just keep writing & submitting to publishers, magazines, etc. & you'll get published.
Charlie looks like he wants to rest & then eat as soon as he wakes up!
Jenn we think your writing is brilliant!
Exactly how many people are judging you? One?!
Remember this is ONE person's subjective opinion. What if another teacher gave you 95%? Even better, what if a teacher gave you 50%, and then you submitted it to a real agent or magazine, only to be accepted?
The goal is to write, receive feedback, and write some more. Don't get fixated on a number!
I knows you know this- writing is art... you have to learn technique before you can make art.
At the age of 10 my niece started dancing. She knew all the moves, she always stayed in step, doing the right thing... always. She always danced in the back, and she never understood what she was missing.
Last year a dear friend and fellow dancer died of cancer at the age of 14. Her dance teacher gave her the opportunity to do a tribute dance.
On Saturday, with an auditorium full of people, she danced, alone, her friend in her thoughts. You could have heard a pin drop after the first move. No one could take their eyes off her. She danced her heart out!
I will never, in my whole life, ever have the talent to create anything as beautiful as the movement she created in those 5 minutes.
You write wonderfully when you write for you (and us)- Forget the 'right way' and write your heart out!
For one of my assignments for a university paper I did on writing for children I had to write three short stories. I got a B (maybe it was a B-, it was about 8 years ago) and the lecturer's comments were very ho hum. But I sent them off to a publisher who waxed lyrical about them and two of the three stories were published, one three times and one twice. Don't forget its still only one person's opinion...
I think the trouble with courses is the lack of drawer time. I thing it is a VERY rare work or a VERY experienced writer that doesn't need to set it aside for a while, work on something else, and then come back. It is SO much easier to spot the problems with a little space.
You're problem isn't that you aren't meant to be a bride, it's that speed dating isn't how to find your match...
Jennifer--These scores represents one person's opinion. How do you feel about your writing? How do you feel when you write? Are you taken away? Do you get lost in "this" world's time because you are enjoying yourself in "that" world?
I think the key is to not give up...Everyone gets frustrated with not being published or thinking that their work is not as good as someone else's. (For Heaven's sake, Susan was my first critique partner...I feel inferior when I read her lovely lovely work, but then my hubby reminds me that we write in two differnt voices and styles and it doesn't make me any less of a writer than her.)
So, chin up! Grab a pen and a journal, write down how this all made you feel and save it so you can use it in your next writing piece. :)
Hugs!
Post a Comment