Summary: [The following is only a glimpse of the topic … not a transcription. Also, this episode is about 6 minutes long.]<br> <br> In the last episode, I encouraged anyone who is in a position read and respond to a writer’s work to affirm, affirm, affirm what’s working. I’m not talking about a formal reviewer online or at a newspaper who is reviewing a book. I’m thinking of someone in a writing group who's workshopping a short story or a someone giving a friend feedback about a poem. If you’re in that kind of situation—helping steer someone and encourage their growth as a writer—I recommended you err in the direction of honest affirmation.<br> <br> Honest affirmation is kind of like clicker training for writers. <br> <br> <br> <br> It works especially well when you have the luxury of taking a long-range view, trusting that over time, the writer will self-correct the more confident he grows from knowing what he does well.<br> <br> Sometimes, though, we don’t get that much time and have to point out a few things that would ideally be changed, eliminated, tweaked or rearranged to improve a writing project. <br> <br> The next best thing to rewarding the good with positive input and ignoring what’s not working is to put into place a 6 to 1 ratio of positive vs. negative feedback. <br> <br> Related resources:<br> <br> Positive Reinforcement: Reward What Works (Ignore the Rest) <br> The Writing Life Podcast - Affirm, Affirm, Affirm<br> Bethany Rohde's comment about ideally offering a balance of both critique and affirmation <br> Can You Cope with Criticism at Work?<br> What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage<br> <br> * * *<br> Listen for the full podcast (6:22). You can subscribe to The Writing Life with Ann Kroeker with iTunes and Stitcher.<br> <br> You can also connect with me on Twitter and Facebook, where I'm always sharing ideas to help us be more curious, creative, and productive.
