Coaches and Classes XVII

Class was a great way for me to test out my new 'go fuck your standards' attitude because it meant putting myself out there and hoping for the best, but also trying to convince myself that it would be okay if I was light years behind my fellow writers.

There was ten of us sitting in a group and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I was okay going in blind.  I had all of my copies printed, stapled and ready for them to be ripped apart and inked up with comments and suggestions from my classmates.  The first person to read was a woman from Vancouver who was a trapeze star in an Asian circus something similar to Cirque de Soliel.  Her writing was great, I would easily read her book and learn about her life and the experiences she has had.  When she finished up everyone started to look around the room for who would begin the critiquing and just like in school when I didn't know the answer I stared at my feet.  When the young blond started to speak about the piece I knew immediately that I had a lot to learn in terms writing and editing.  The things they critiqued on I never even noticed...like how two characters have the same voice.  When it came to me I was able to weed out a few inconsistencies that needed clarity and gave a lot of positive feedback to lines I thought were genius.

I grabbed my bag, I was shaking while handing out my work...these people are about to see through a small window into my life.