Re: working with other writers

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

John Posada wrote:
 
> Most people have an opinion of their abilities that are
> different from reality. They usualy think they are better than
> they really are (as opposed to me, who is waiting for my
> employers to realize that I'm making this up as I'm going
> along). Therefore, working with ANY peers when the output is
> from the mind is going to be touchy because they are never as
> good as you think you are.

I have a theory about this (aren't you surprised?). I call it the
"Bad Driver Theory." In my experience, people who consider
themselves good drivers are hotdoggers who take chances. By
contrast, a surprisingly large number of people who call
themselves bad drivers never have an accident. They don't take
their skills for granted. As a result, they tend to think more
about what they're doing, and are actually good drivers. I
suspect that the same goes for writing.

I find that the best way to take criticism is to focus on whether
comments make the work better or not. At the risk of sounding
like someone from a TM seminar, the trick is to separate the work
from your ego. In my experience, this is only slightly easier
than freeing yourself from the illusions and distractions of the
world in meditation.

-- 
Bruce Byfield, Outlaw Communications
Contributing Editor, Maximum Linux
bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com | Tel: 604.421.7189

"Theirs is a land of Hope and Glory,
Mine is the green fields and the factory floors,
Theirs are the skies, all dark with bombers,
Mine is the peace we knew between the wars."
- Billy Bragg, "Between the Wars."