Learning Project Update 5: Community, Feedback, & Revisions

First off, I don’t know if anyone else got the license number of the flu that hit my school and home this last week, but…wow!

Now then

As a recap, here are some of my original plans for this week:

WEEKS 7-8: Research and Build Writing Community

Focus: Expand research and find/engage with a writing community

Tasks and Resources:

1. Critique Circle (in-person): Receive feedback from pre-kindergarten – Grade 1 colleagues.
2. Critique Circle (online): Reattempting this with Scribophile after my Wattpad fail.

After last week’s road blocks with building a writing community on Wattpad, I refocused my efforts using Scribophile. The platform is a (somewhat) popular online writing community where writers can receive feedback and critique other work. Overall, it’s been a more positive community building experience, containing all the highs and lows of the writing process.

Scribophile Breakdown

What Works

• Constructive Criticism: I did not submit all of my manuscript, but some of the feedback (for what I shared) was:
  • “Great pacing and interesting characters.”
  • “This sounds like every kid I know.”
  • “Your story is good, but it needs illustrations to make it complete. Have you reached out to anyone yet?”
• Supportive Community: This is the scariest step for me, but almost as soon as I registered, the platform’s admin and other writers were reaching out to encourage me to share my work. This differs from the sense of community I observed – or didn’t observe – on Wattpad.
  

  Thanks for the help. Admin Alex. Screenshot: Scribophile.com

• Targeted Feedback: I haven’t done this yet, but I did note that you can request specific feedback. For example, if I am struggling with character or plot development, I can ask reviewers to zero on those things.
• Free?: I distrust anything “free” online; however, except for the “karma” and “reputation” aspect of it (more on that below), it is actually free. Premium membership exists, but such is the world we live in.

What Doesn’t

• Time-consuming: No surprise that the writing process is time-consuming. Like I tell my students, that’s why it’s called a process. However, that free feedback I mentioned doesn’t come at zero cost – you have to critique other work in return. It’s a fair trade, but after grading an infinite stack of assignments all week, it can be a struggle!
• Quality Control: The first round of feedback has been nice, but nothing overly groundbreaking. I question how vetted my critics are and need to practice discernment with comments.
• Genre Limitations: Scribophile is a general writing platform (not children’s storybook specific). Finding other writers in my writing sphere has been hit or miss.

Overall, I prefer Scribophile to Wattpad for the positive writing vibe alone. Whether I’ll continue to increase my “karma” and build my “rep” remains to be seen.

Deep Breath…Teacher and Student Peer Reviews

This has been – by far – the scariest part of my learning journey. Instead of obscure, digital critics, I have to see these teachers and student every day! Doubt and imposter syndrome are very real aspects of this process, or at least my process.

All that being said, the feedback has been…good. Students have liked David and his creations. The consensus (Scribophile and human child alike) has been the need for illustrations. It really is an illustration dependent story. I continue to question the validity and objectivity of my teaching peers. After all, who wants to hurt the feelings of a coworker/friend?

So…if you want (painfully) objective criticism, look no further than middle year’s Alphas! The generational name is frightfully apt! In ELA, we have begun a narrative writing unit. It’s a “two birds, one stone” situation that’s been incredibly helpful for my own learning.

First, we dove into different popular story openers from a few of our classroom mentor texts:

“I’m jumping off the diving board today,” Jabari told his dad. “Really?” said his dad (Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall).

• Why it works: We are immediately introduced to Jabari’s confidence and main goal. His dad’s response hints at doubt, creating curiousity in the reader.

“CJ pushed through the church doors, skipped down the steps. The outside air smelled like freedom, but it also smelled like rain, which freckled CJ’s shirt and dripped down his nose” (Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña).

• Why it works: The story opens with sensory rich detail, immersing the reader in CJ’s world. Tension is created between his freedom and the weather (rain).

“William looked out his window to find a commotion on the street. He quickly dressed, ran downstairs, and raced out the door to discover…” (The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers).

• Why it works: William’s actions create a sense of urgency and mystery. The first page ends on a cliffhanger, encouraging the reader to learn more.

“This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world. They do all kinds of things together. They race. They eat. They explore. They relax” (The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires).

• Why it works: The lines create a rhythmic sense of every day events, making the protagonist seem relatable to the reader.

Next – gulp – we revised the opening to my story (following guidelines from Reedsy’s Editorial Team). I have turned our discussions and revisions into shareable Canva slides. As frightening as these next steps have been, it’s been rewarding to share and learn from/with others.

Final Thoughts:

Aside from the flu, this week was filled with valuable lessons, feedback, and classroom connections. My writing has always been a solitary journey, until now. Online platforms, colleague feedback, and revising with students has shown me the power of “travelling” with others.

Thank you for journeying alongside me. As always, please leave comments, insights, and suggestions. Stay tuned for next week – more revisions AND ALSO POSSIBLY MAYBE ALMOST manuscript submission time! If I write it here, I seem less likely to chicken out (fingers crossed).