Who's With Me? Part Deux by Jane Clamp

Get yourself a buddy, I said. Don’t do the writing journey alone. Do you remember those fine sentiments from a month ago? Many of you responded with enthusiasm: Yes! Let’s buddy-up! Go, us!

Well, this is part two: the more “rubber hits the road” section. You see, I had an interesting experience this week which I feel compelled to share. I entrusted the first chapter of my novel to a good friend – not officially my “buddy” (alas, she belongs to another) – but a real through-thick-and-thin friend, who happens to be a superb writer.

 

Now, it is Adrian Plass, ACW’s esteemed president, who publicly and often says how much he hates criticism, especially the constructive kind; so I know I’m in good company. I wanted the feedback to read, “This is the most amazing piece of prose I have ever read. Why you are not rich/famous/world-renowned by now defeats me. All previous generations of writers are hereby consigned to the dust. You have established fiction as the true art-form it previously only aspired to being.” Or something along those lines…

Instead, she was honest (and kind and gentle) to point out there was something glaringly wrong with the structure which my previous two thousand and thirty six edits had missed. She hoped I wouldn’t be upset by her comments. I assured her I wasn’t. And for about forty five seconds that was true. And then I was very upset. Indeed. 

It is simply horrible to be corrected, however carefully done. But, dear fellow writers, we need it! What is the point of us labouring over our writing, submitted to God, sacrificial in the commitment, if we judge it only by our own opinion? Quite honestly, there is a real danger that we will become delusional (as evidenced in my second paragraph) when, if we are to be of any use at all to this broken world, we need to hone our communication skills and sharpen our writing so our treasured message is not spoiled by the packaging.

To be clear, I wasn’t upset that I’d received the critique. It was far more about the fact I thought I was nearly done after 18 months of hard work, and now I sense the finishing tape pushed back further than I feel I have energy for. But, actually, I know that this same friend will be cheering me on as I re-group, pick myself up, press the delete button repeatedly and bash on. And, guess what? It’s made me realise that, however temporarily painful, we really do need writerly friends who help the Proverbs verse come alive: As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

Jane Clamp is ACW Groups' Coordinator and writes regularly for radio. Her first book, Too Soon, a devotional on the theme of miscarriage, will be published by SPCK on 16th August.