Writers gather around the big classroom conference table. It's the
first evening of my weeklong writing retreat. I ask each writer to
grab a stack of magazines and begin tearing out photos. The room gets
quiet as everyone moves into their image brains.
Feedback is a tricky process. Lots of danger if you choose
feedback partners that have something to prove--they're smart, literary,
better than you could ever be. Or if you exchange with readers who
just don't put in the effort, time, attention. Both extremes can wear a
writer out, best case. Worse case, they can cause you to lose faith in
your book.
