"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt
This is a wonderful quote, and it well sums up that we should all try things more and that there is real value in the effort, even when it falls short. At Shoo-Fly View, we absolutely agree!
That said, a critic can be an invaluable source for the writer, the artist, the photographer, the man in the arena. Without constructive feedback, we tend not to grow.
Yet every day our society seems to worry so much about how what they say will be taken, that instead of valuable feedback, we get empty words, that no matter how kindly couched will never help us grow. How many times have you submitted a piece and gotten back: We are so honored that you sent us your work. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the right fit for us, but don't take that as a setback or criticism of your work . . . .
How did you feel after that? Well, it probably didn't hurt your feelings, but you also didn't learn anything from it. There's a reason why they picked Sally P Author's work and didn't pick yours.
That's how we are different. In today's world where empty phrases masquerade as meaningful text, we give you actual feedback as to why we didn't pick yours. We will do it kindly and with compassion, but we will give you something to work on.
We'd love to hear from you - have you had someone give you particularly good feedback when they rejected your piece? It's rare, but share your story in the comments section.
Have a good night,
Shoo-Fly View Team
This is a wonderful quote, and it well sums up that we should all try things more and that there is real value in the effort, even when it falls short. At Shoo-Fly View, we absolutely agree!
That said, a critic can be an invaluable source for the writer, the artist, the photographer, the man in the arena. Without constructive feedback, we tend not to grow.
Yet every day our society seems to worry so much about how what they say will be taken, that instead of valuable feedback, we get empty words, that no matter how kindly couched will never help us grow. How many times have you submitted a piece and gotten back: We are so honored that you sent us your work. Unfortunately, it just wasn't the right fit for us, but don't take that as a setback or criticism of your work . . . .
How did you feel after that? Well, it probably didn't hurt your feelings, but you also didn't learn anything from it. There's a reason why they picked Sally P Author's work and didn't pick yours.
That's how we are different. In today's world where empty phrases masquerade as meaningful text, we give you actual feedback as to why we didn't pick yours. We will do it kindly and with compassion, but we will give you something to work on.
We'd love to hear from you - have you had someone give you particularly good feedback when they rejected your piece? It's rare, but share your story in the comments section.
Have a good night,
Shoo-Fly View Team