Writing Groups, Someone to Read Your Drafts, and False Starts

The next few sections of "Bird By Bird," discusses the importance of criticism. She talks about the various writing workshops she's worked at, and how the participants dealt with and created criticism. I think the story about editing the epically terrible story written in vernacular was funny, but also had a valuable lesson about being bold. First, she explains how the man who wrote the story was brave because he was a newer writer and he basically tried writing something to advanced for him. Next, the woman who ranted about the writing was brave, because she was speaking the complete blunt truth about the writing. However, she also poses the argument that it is not always necessary to speak the truth. In addition, Lamott makes a great point about important it is to take chances in life. She says something to the effect of that no one ends their life glad they never took any risks. In one of the other sections, Someone to Read Your Drafts, she talks about how life is to short to worry about pointless things or to spend your life waiting. That is something that is taking me years to realize.