Honestly, my posts are pretty informal, and I’m not sure that there’s “showcase quality” work there, but I do want to expand on my writing about feedback. (And by the way, I’m not sure how I would showcase my writing.) In any case, back to the topic of feedback. I did my MFA in creative writing and feedback from peers and instructors was a large part of our activities. One thing that was always clear was that it was always about the text, never about the person. Useful criticism is that ” this part of the text makes me feel, or think, this way…” it is never voiced as “you make me feel, or think” this way. I try to maintain that distancing perspective when offering feedback to students. I can remember how feedback could be received as criticism when it was delivered as “you…” and could feel hurtful. So I try to always remember to say this part of the text etc…
Feedback perceived as criticism is very silencing. Positive feedback is an art of restraint and delicacy but can have strong effects. My SMART goal is to refresh my skills of feedback, keeping them kind, objective and never personal. The text exists outside of the person.