Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicity Grope
Even if people can't respect the talent, they should at least respect the time and effort. It saddens me to see any writer discouraged by people who are effectively yobs.
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I work in an accounting sort of job. I've had people come in, you spend hours and hours training, and you can tell they're never going to pick it up. Their brains are never going to have that "click" that "gets it". I'm not talking about intelligence level, just strengths and aptitudes.
Other people, they pick it up immediately - and those are usually the ones who moan that they're not learning fast enough (since they know what they're really capable of when all the pistons are firing).
I think it would be more discouraging to the person who doesn't have an aptitude for the work for me to keep telling them, "you're doing a wonderful job", "I can really tell you're trying" when I also have to turn around and fix mess after mess behind them. I think there comes a time when you have to say "I don't think this job is a good fit for your strengths". (See, I don't mean it would be kind or even honest to say "you're an idiot and you'll never get this!")
There are people with great ideas but a poor understanding of how to put a sentence together, let alone all those things that take a "good" story to a "great" one. I think it's more fair to be honest about that - especially if they really want to be a good storyteller.
But I do agree, there are ways, and there are ways. I love a good snarky review on a poorly written book as much as a good gushing review on a well-written book - but I also save my "snark review" reading to sites where I know they attack the book (when it's needed) but never the author (comments may be otherwise, but not the reviewers themselves).