Letters for Burning

I get a lot of people saying something like this: ”What do you think of my writing? Please be honest. It’s awful, isn’t it? You think it’s awful.” And I just…keep quiet. Or I try to be elusive as possible.

I keep quiet and I’m elusive as possible because I’m honest and a critic with ridiculous expectations. I am literally the worst. I cut up everything into pieces and think nothing of it. I was notorious for this in my creative writing classes…I’m sure I hurt a few people’s feelings. But I also had people come up to me and thank me personally because how I read their story helped them to improve it later on.

It’s funny how people automatically assume I think their writing is awful though. I just really like tearing things apart - it’s just who I am. I’m more of a breaker-downer than a builder-upper.

But I also know that people have feelings and that some of these people I’d consider friends. So I’m torn about what I should say when anyone asks. I keep quiet when I really shouldn’t.

Also, there are times when I just don’t know what to say at all because the writing is so anorexic. There’s just not enough to talk about except the fact that it lacks meat on its bones.