Video Transcript: Lesson 9

Welcome back to Writing for Ministry. I'm Adam Navis. This is lesson number  nine, I think. We, after a brief aside to talk about storytelling, we're back on track with our step-by-step writing process. Hopefully, and I'm sure you've got a great, solid first draft of your work. I hope you feel really proud, and I hope you found a way to celebrate what you've done. You deserve whatever you feel is a big treat. I bet you've got some really great stuff in that first draft.  

Now you may think your stuff is really good, and I'm sure it is. And maybe you  feel that it's so good that you're ready to submit it, whether to your teacher or for publication. Here you would be wrong. Obviously, I've not read your work, but I  do know it's not ready. This week's lesson is: we're going to talk about getting  feedback on your work and the vulnerability you're going to feel when other  people read your work.  

As we write, we get close to our work. It's like our children; we love them too  much, and we become blind to their faults. Or, on the other hand, we know their  weaknesses and become embarrassed to show them to anyone else. Either  way, we're not improving. Okay, now remember, I'm talking about writing. I don't  want to suggest going going around and asking people to critique your children.  Don't do that. Writing. Yes.  

Writing is a collaborative process. If I had a T-shirt made up, that's what it would  say on it. Writing is a collaborative process. It is not about you just sitting in a  room doing it yourself. It's a collaborative process, but it's also a vulnerable  process. It asks you to be very, very vulnerable.  

Now, there are two kinds of vulnerability when it comes to writing. First, there's  the vulnerability of that blank page, it takes courage to step out onto that blank  page because you're accompanied by that fear that this time the words won't  come. There's that whisper in your ear that anything good you've ever written in  the past was a fluke, and everyone will finally see you for the fraud that you are,  this state of fear is as true for the student as it is for the successful writer.  

Now, the second kind of vulnerability happens when we share our work with  other people. Now, there are three main approaches to getting feedback to that  to the response to that kind of vulnerability-they are paralysis, perfection, or  managed feedback.  

Paralysis happens when a writer is so overwhelmed by the blank page that they  simply can't even begin. All they see is the potential futility of their effort, the  enormity of the task, or the raw nerve they aren't strong enough to expose-they  simply can't write. 

The second way that writers deal with vulnerability is by striving for perfection.  They try to conquer the blank page by sheer force of will. Typically, this group  has done well in school, getting good grades by writing to the expectations of  

their teachers. These people might be able to write out a single draft of high quality prose, but frequently will wait until the deadline to do so. By waiting until  the last minute, they minimize the time for revision. For the perfectionist, it is  better to have it done and out of her hands than have to accept that they might  have been able to do better. And I think right now, as I describe that, some of  you who are watching this video are thinking, "Hmm, that's me, or "Hmm, I'm  married to someone like that, or "I know someone like that.  

Third, and this is what I'm going to advocate for all of us, is managed feedback.  So, what is managed feedback? It's where you find a group of people you trust,  preferable from the audience you're hoping to reach with your work, and you ask 

them to read what you've written, and then, if at all possible, get them together  in the same room, all together-four or five people, maybe even six-to get  together and talk about your work. Maybe you buy them pizza or bake cookies  because people, of course, love food. But the reason you want them all together is that you're going to get differences of opinion. I mean, my rule of thumb is that if one person has a problem with what I've written. Meaning with understanding  it, it might be them. If two or more people mention the same thing in my writing,  it's probably me. The reason managed feedback is so important is that we're  going to have people point out all the things that are wrong about our work, from the little grammatical details to the big theological points. The question is: Would you rather have this done among a group of people you trust and who you know want to see you succeed, or would you rather have it done publicly or in the  comment section of your blog or on social media?  

Your assignment then is to get feedback on your draft. Ask those three or four  people to read your work and make comments. Then get them together for  coffee or tea or whatever you like to drink, and whatever makes it a fun, casual  atmosphere. When you do this, make sure you are clear on what you want from  them. This is not a free for all.  

A lot of people will want to take over your work, and they only think in terms of  what they would want to say. What you want from them is what is technically  called reader response criticism. You don't actually care if they disagree with the points you're making, but you should care about what parts they don't  understand. If they don't understand your points, when did they get bored? What parts were really good? Take notes on what they say, but try not to explain what  you are trying to do, because you're not going to have the chance to explain 

what you're trying to do in your writing. Your other, your next readers aren't  going to have that luxury of having you in the same room while they read it.  Rather, write down the comment, and then later we'll try to figure out what you  need to change.  

Next time, we're going to take a look at what you do with the feedback that  you've received. We're going to look at what it means to edit, how it can be both  painful and freeing. Let's write.