Where should I start? I guess I should start with the day when my most recent article was published in the Whyville Times. I read through it quickly. When I reached the bottom of the page I realized I had never clicked the link "Discuss this article in the BBS." So I clicked it.
To my surprise I found several discussions on my article. I read the first post. I was shocked. Completely shocked. When I read the rest of the posts I saw that they all agreed. Everyone thought my article was bad. Really bad. They said it wasn't funny, the pictures were bad, and it was boring. But then I thought about my article and realized that everything they said was true! And so I vowed to make my next article better.
Out of curiosity, I searched my other articles in the Archives and read the BBS posts on them. I found out one of my articles was immature, one used too strong of a comparison, and one didn't have any comments at all. Looking back, I'm surprised the Times Editor published some of my articles! I'm embarrassed of some of them.
Now I realize that if I had read the BBS posts before, my articles would have been better. Your criticism matters. It helps us writers to see what we're doing wrong and how we can improve our articles. Heck, this article will probably be criticized! So, thank you for your comments, compliments, AND criticism.
creativ12
Editor's Note: Every writer that submits to the Times starts at a different skill level. Some of you may be experienced and have already been published (perhaps in your local or school newspaper). But some of you are novices and are just getting started. And that's okay! The Times is a place for all writers, at every level. We encourage everyone to continue to write and submit, even if you are new to writing. The way we learn is through experience and persistence.
Creativ12, I'm glad you realized the value of the BBS and how it can help improve your writing. Listen to the comments from your peers and use them to help you grow. Sometimes it can be hard to take criticism. But as long as it is constructive, we should all try to take it to heart and use it to help us improve. Keep up the good work and keep writing!
