My Expectations As a Writer Of My Readers And Myself

Mackenzie Davis issued a challenge in one of her more recent articles: Writing is NOT a Safe Space.

I think this is an amazing idea - because let's be real, I am not writing for fun. I mean, I am writing for fun, but I also want to be a good writer. I want to be a writer with content worth reading. I want people on my writing platforms who read my work to say: "Oh man, she published a book? I have GOT to read it!"

To become someone whose writing is worth reading, I need to grow as a writer. There is always room to grow, no matter how good we are at something. And I am not the best.

So to help me grow, I have expectations of my readers.

I know, it's arrogant and presumptuous of me to have expectations of people investing their time reading this, and anything else. But I am a woman of conviction (once I've finally made up my mind) and I stand by my expectations. They aren't unreasonable, I promise.

I want open and honest feedback, not just compliments.

The encouragement and kindness I have gotten from the community here has been amazing. I don't think I've ever had a truly mean word spoken (typed actually) at me. And I gotta tell you, sometimes my readers make my whole week with a loving compliment.

But I feel like that doesn't help me get better. I want people to mention the things they notice. Compliments are nice, but honesty is better. Genuinely mean it if you're going to tell me you like my articles or writing. But if you see me losing my touch or rambling, you should mention it.

A personal flaw of mine is having a whole freaking lot to say. I don't realize I get repetitive sometimes until someone mentions it. I like it when people help me improve my writing. I want to be good at writing. So if I've made some mistakes or if I have lost my focus, tell me. So long as you're giving me constructive criticism, I will thank you!

I want you to take the time to read it - not just skim through it.

I get a lot of people skimming my work. Some of my articles are long - so I understand. At the same time, I work hard on what I write. I do not publish anything I feel half-hearted about. If my heart and mind aren't invested in what I am writing, I delete it. Mostly because half-assed writing sucks. Especially mine.

So taking the time to read it - so I get that 'read' instead of 'viewed' stat would be the best way to support me if you enjoy my writing.

Fellow writers - teach me your ways!

If you have tips that can improve my writing, please don't be greedy! I majored in business management, not writing or literature. So everything I learned is from very basic classes. I love learning new things, and it's not offensive to tell me where I can improve.

I work hard - so enjoy what I write. And if you don't enjoy it, you really should tell me.

What I mean by this, take the time to read it, and enjoy my writing. Or get mad at it. Whatever way you go. If I evoke feelings of any sort, I've done my job as a writer. I like hearing your opinions. If you agree with me, why? If you don't, why not?

And if my article just sucked for some reason - go ahead and tell me so and why you think that. You might be surprised to find I agree with you sometimes. Haha!

I am not afraid to be corrected.

I like looking smart. So I usually research anything I'm doing an article on, just to make sure I've got my facts. But I have a secret, and I need you to keep it on the DL: I'm a human. Which means I make mistakes.

I mean, don't tell anyone else, but when I make a mistake, it's totally okay to correct me with resources so I can better educate myself.

Just kidding. Blast that shit in the comments if you like. If I am wrong, I'm wrong, and there's no one to blame but me. But I don't like having inaccuracies in my work. So tell me if I mistaketh maketh.

Expectations of myself as a writer.

Don't think you are the only one accountable for my growth. You are just a small portion of it. Like the protagonist in my own story, most of my character development and skill growth must come from within (hey, this applies to everyone in the world). So I have to have values and expectations to hold myself accountable to.

I am responsible for my success.

Pretty obvious, right?

I am responsible for learning from constructive criticism.

It's my job to learn. And it's my responsibility to take what people are trying to teach me and learn from it. I want to grow and improve, and most of all I want to stay humbled.

I will not take criticism (constructive or not) personally.

I can't control other people. I can only control myself. And I am responsible for accepting criticism or insults responsibly and maturely. I can either be insulted and have my feelings hurt, or I can re-evaluate, and see if this is a learning experience.

I can't have my feelings hurt if I keep an open mind, and filter out the troll comments. But, I haven't had any negative experiences with anyone on here so I doubt that will happen.

I am responsible for telling my personal truth.

I am a writer who will always stick to my values of honesty. I will not write things that I don't believe or stand by. I will not accept money to write lies or half-truths. I am responsible for telling my truth.

I am responsible for creating work that I am proud of.

My goal is to create work that evokes emotion and thought or carries people away into a story. And through my writing, I am most vulnerable and honest. I am responsible for bearing my heart through words to the world, words that are worthy to be archived and kept in existence forever. And I am responsible for creating work that I can be proud of.

Fellow writers - will you answer the call?

Challenge to Fellow Writers:

I challenge you to write down your standards and values as a writer. Really sit and meditate on this. Imagine your ideal peer reader giving you feedback. What do you want this person to focus on? What do they bring to the table that you know you need to hear in order to improve? Write it all down. Then, go back to the first principles of writing. What do you value?

When you’ve done this, compile it all into an article and post it to Vocal, pinning it to your profile. This will act as your declaration. Make it known in the title! Anybody who chooses to invest in you will have read this. - Mackenzie Davis