Before I started my short career writing for the Michigan Journal I felt that I needed guidance as I had never written formally up to that point. I went to speak to Tim Kiska who teaches an introduction journalism class at the University of Michigan. He is also the faculty advisor for the newspaper.
I explained my purpose in coming to see him. After much time had passed discussing the state of journalism we finally got to why I was there. I will not bore you with the details of the conversation. What I learned from him was two-fold. A writer cannot know if they are any good at writing. A writer also receives little, if any, feedback about their work.
I strongly disagree with the first opinion and I sincerely hope that the second is untrue. Logically there must be some standards by which one may know, as a writer, if they are any good. In school one receives grades. When writing for a newspaper one receives feedback from editors. A magazine gets plenty of readers writing letters of criticism or praise.
Why is feedback so important to me? The answer is simple. Rather than write to stroke my own ego I write in hopes of pleasing others. In offering bits of knowledge and wisdom I hope to create change. It is this change that, if I am blessed, will make someone's life a bit better.
Yes, I write for myself to begin with. Ultimately though I want this blog and future creations to mean something to others as well as myself. If we live our lives being of no help to anyone what is the point of existence?
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