I went and ate cake with my bestie this weekend, in the place where in approximately three weeks time there’ll probably be about ninety seconds at a microphone. They all count, of course, and it is a moment I’m already looking forward to with a measure of anticipation. This is the success to be celebrated. I’ve spoken about rejection already this month, but there is one part of the equation that’s not been considered, and that is feedback.
Do you really want to know how good or bad something is after you post it?
The overriding problem with the endless rounds of contest entries is never knowing why you failed, only that you did. Asking for someone for feedback is, if truth be known, a mugs’ game. What one person might consider good another will pour scorn on from high. Getting stressed about generic feedback is also a one way trip to destroying what few shreds of confidence you might possess. So, is it worth it? Yes, sometimes it is. If the feedback comes from someone you trust? Absolutely it’s worth it.
Should I worry about how many people liked my post? Absolutely not. The only real feedback that matters, in that case, is the person who compliments you on a decent phrase or passage, suggesting a better addition as a metaphor. Nobody ever does that here, it’s just a generic ‘like’ and if you wonder why I very rarely do the same to anybody else’s posts, there’s your reason. I only REALLY like things that make me go ‘wow, that’s GREAT.’
If it gets that from me, you are fairly likely to get detailed analysis too, in the vain hope one day someone else might do the same. Perhaps, if I’m lucky, this might become the new trend: people turn up and offer unprompted feedback.
Stranger things have happened…
The Internet of Words 
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