Story: A Rakshasa In Love

Life is hard being a rakshasa. It is especially hard when you’re a girl. 

My name is Hidimbi and I'm just your average rakshasa. All I’ve ever wanted is to be normal. None of the good men are rakshasa men! It’s honestly not fair at all. How am I ever supposed to find a man worthy of my love when all of the best ones want to kill me!?

They all wanted to kill me…or so I thought.

My perspective changed when one day I was on a mission to slay the Pandavas. They are all great men, but I would be in so much trouble if I didn’t comply. So I was going to do my thing and end them.

However, my plans were cut short when I was struck by the love god. This changed everything.

I knew from that moment that I was making a huge mistake. Bhima and I belonged together and I had the perfect opportunity! I knew what I needed to do. I approached Bhima, ready to profess my love and my plan for us to run away together.

…but then there was another change of plans.

My brother is the chieftain of the rakshasas. He’s a huge deal. We aren’t very close, but he always feels like he has to keep me in line. It’s kind of annoying, but I think the title just goes to his head.

Anyways.

My brother came out of nowhere and knocked Bhima to the ground.

“Go keep watch!” my brother yelled. I knew I had to obey.

Eventually the Pandavas came to where I was stationed. I explained my whole situation. They looked at me like I was crazy. I guess I can’t blame them…this situation wasn’t exactly ordinary.

I led them to the spot where my brother was fighting Bhima. I hated watching two men I loved engage in battle. I knew that either outcome would end in heartbreak for me.

Unfortunately, my brother was slain in this battle. I respect Bhima for the honorable fighter he is and I think of my brother often. His memory lives strong among the rakshasas.

With my brother slain, I didn’t want to return home. This only solidified my decision to commit to Bhima. Knowing what I had to do, I chased after him and his family. But Bhima turned and yelled at me, telling me to leave them alone.

Yeah, that hurt. But maybe he was right. How could a rakshasa girl like me expect to marry a man like him? Was I being crazy? Probably. But was I going to keep trying? Definitely.

Without giving myself time to talk myself out of it, I flung myself to the ground and wept at his mother’s feet. Using every ounce of adrenaline and insanity in my body, I told her why I deserved to be with Bhima and how I could benefit their family. Coming as a surprise to Kunti (and also myself), I made a pretty good argument.

That is when she knelt down and pat me on the head.

“Sweet child” she said, “my son would be most lucky to take your hand in marriage.”

I looked up to her sweet, smiling face. I absolutely couldn’t not believe my ears. I made her repeat herself and she chuckled at my dumbfounded face. I was a little embarrassed, but that was far outshined by the amount of joy in my heart.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I got to marry my best friend. We have lived “happily ever after” and all that. I can’t imagine my life without him of our darling son.

(A photo of my amazing family.)

Author's note: For this story, I used the scene "Bhima and Hidimbi" from the Public Domain Edition of The Mahabharata. The scene goes essentially the same way that I told it, only I changed it to be told from Hidimbi's point of view. I used this opportunity to make her character a little more stereotypically girly than she obviously would have been. Using the same storyline but changing the point of view was a fun challenge. It helped me think of the story from another view and it let me put some fun personality into it.

Bibliography: Bhima and Hidimbi

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part C

Krishna's Visit
In this scene, Draupadi is very upset about all that has happened to her. She even begins to question religion because of the injustice of it all. This is a relevant theme that could be transformed into a more modern story.

Arjuna and Indra
Arjuna is cursed to become a dancer and musician. I thought this was a little strange, but it ends up working out for him.

The Himalayas
Arjuna is reconnected with the other four Pandavas and Draupadi.

Duryodhana and the Gandharvas
Duryodhana decides to end his life and is talked out of it.
Karna vows to kill Ajurna.

Karna and Indra
Indra takes Karna's earrings that make him invincible. Indra trades him one dart which will kill a deadly enemy. I love the use of physical objects that hold their power. I think it would be fun to change this into a story about someone else with some kind of magic accessory that gave them power.

Riddles at the Lake
This is a very interesting scene! All the brothers are killed at the lake besides Yudhishthira, who answers all of the riddles. Yudhishthira received two boons and requests that his brothers be brought back to life and that they will go about unrecognized for a year.

Bhima and Kichaka
Prince Kichaka tries to rape Draupadi. She runs to the king, but he basically laughs in her face. This scene was upsetting and all to familiar to the issues of victimizing rapists that we hear about today.
However, Bhima ends up killing him for Draupadi.

Krishna and His Army
Arjuna is given the chance to choose between Krishna (who will not fight) and his army. Arjuna chooses to have Krishna beside him, because he adores him so much.

Krishna and Karna
Karna finds out that he is a brother to the Pandavas and he doesn't take it well. He believed that Kunti was never a mother to him and waited too long to tell him the truth. This information does not change his mind. He remains loyal to those who have been good to him. I can understand this thinking. He feels betrayed by his real mother and chooses to stay loyal to those who have been with him this whole time. This is similar to modern day children who find out they were adopted. I think this would make an excellent modern-day story.

Armies at Kurukshetra 
The war begins between the Kauravas and Pandavas. Lots of old and some new characters come together to form the armies. This reminds me of the war in the Twilight Saga: Eclipse when the newborn vampires attack. The Cullens form an army of vampires from all over and it reminds me of this scene.

Bhagavad-Gita
Arjuna second-guesses the war but Krishna urges him to fight.

The Battle Begins
The war begins and it is just as intense as you would imagine.

(Karna and Indra making their trade.)

Source: Public Domain Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part B

The House of Fire
Prince Yudhishthira noticed that everything was soaked in oil and the structure was made from wood. He knew that this would easily burn. I think that this is an interesting plot. I think it would be fun to create a story about a different ploy.

Additionally, when the burned bodies left from the fire are misidentified...this could be turned into an interesting story as well!

Bhima and Hidimbi
I like the love story between Bhima and the rakshasa. This is different from the other relationships I have seen in the epics. I think it would be fun to tell this scene from the rakshasa's point of view. I would like to portray her as a misunderstood character, who is in love with Bhima.

Bhima and Baka
In this scene, Bhima slays Baka who was making citizens pay a blood tax. This was disgusting and terrifying. I can't imagine how ecstatic the people were to have this monster slain! It would be interesting to re-write this scene from the point of view of a random citizen whose family's turn was coming up to pay the blood tax.

 The Story of Nalayani
I think it could be funny to use the story of receiving five husbands and turn it into a story with some humor. I think there's a lot of room for creativity here.

Draupadi's Swayamwara
In this scene there is another challenge set forth by a king in order to marry his daughter. I love these.

Arjuna and Ulupi 
In this scene, Arjuna, one of the five husbands, breaks one of the rules of their marriage and is sent into exile. He finds another woman and has a child with her.

Arjuna and the Apsaras 
Prince Arjuna turns the alligators back into beautiful nymphs. There is a lot of room for storytelling here!

Arjuna and Krishna
I love the forgiving moment between Draupadi and Subhadra. This was very peaceful and refreshing!

Maya's Palace
Maya builds a beautiful palace for the Pandavas.

The Gambling Match
In this scene, Duryodhana loses everything. This would be easy and fun to turn into a modern tale. Gambling addictions are still relevant!

Draupadi Lost
Draupadi is gambled and lost. In this scene, she expresses her fury. I really like her character and would like to make a story about her.

Assembly Hall
Bhima makes nasty promises to seek revenge! I'm glad that someone is standing up for Draupadi.

(My favorite scene from today was when Arjuna turned the alligators back into nymphs.)

Source: Public Domain Mahabharata

Reading Notes: Public Domain Mahabharata, Part A

Vyasa and Ganesha
The story of Vyasa's birth definitely caught my attention.

King Shantanu and Ganga
In this scene, Ganga basically weds Shantanu if he promises not to tell her what to do. She then proceeds to kill all of their children. Shantanu finally gets fed up and breaks the marriage vow. He had no idea that this was all part of a plan to return the Vasus to celestial beings. At the end of the scene, Ganga explains and presents him with a son who had the virtues of all the Vasus. This was an interesting story that I think it would be fun to change up.

King Shantanu and Satyavati 
At the end of this scene, King Shantanu requests to marry Satyavati, but the fisherman declines unless Shantanu will promise to make their son the heir. Shantanu can't do that to Devavrata. This reminded me of when Rama had to complete the challenge to marry Sita, which was one of my favorite scenes of The Ramayana. It is interesting to me all the deals that fathers strike up before they will give their daughters away in marriage.

Devavrata's Vow
In this scene, Devavrata gives up his right to the throne so that Shantanu may marry the love of his life. This is such a selfless act! It would be fun to create a new story out of this.

Bhishma at the Swayamvara
Here we see another contest to win someone's love! This scene was actually more similar to the Rama/Sita scene that I referenced earlier. This reminded me of the story that I created for my Ramayana/Harry Potter mashup. Maybe I could incorporate this somehow in a new story.

Amba
In this scene, Amba deals with a rejection similar to rejection in the modern day. I think this story could easily transformed to be something more modern. I liked all of the emotion and anger. It would be easy to transform.

Kunti and Her Son
Radha finds the baby floating in a basket down the river.

Pandu and His Wives
Pandu shoots the deer which was actually a brahmin. He is then cursed to die in the arms of one of his wives. This would be an interesting scene to make a story out of.

Bhima and the Nagas
Duryodhana poisons Bhima and throws him into the Ganges, where he it attacked by snakes. However, the poisons of the snakes counteracts the original poison...this was an unexpected twist.

Ekalavya

He longed to be taught by Drona, but could not because he was one of the Bhils. So he proved himself and then cut off his thumb for Drona. I thought this was an odd scene.

The Arrival of Karna

This scene is interesting because Karna and Arjuna do not realize that they are brothers. This scene would be really fun to make a story out of. There is a lot of room for creativity!

Duryodhana's Jealousy

This scene is filled with jealousy and evil. I think it would be another fun scene to make a story about.

Source: http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/mahabharata-online-public-domain-edition.html

(Devavrata giving up his right to the throne. Source)

Improving My Feedback Focus

The first technique I tried was reading out loud. This definitely helped to improve my focus. I often have trouble staying focused. Especially when I'm reading, I will often notice my mind drifting. Whenever I am reading a textbook and notice that I am not paying attention, I will usually go back and re-read that portion out loud. Reading aloud slows me down a lot, so it isn't something that I will use all the time. But if I need to be re-focused, this is a good tool to get my mind back into what I'm reading.

Next, I tried the copy-and-delete strategy. I loved this strategy! It was very similar to taking notes, but I liked the organization of this method a lot better than typical notes. What I ended up with was similar to a summary. This would be very helpful for a lot of my classes.

Lastly, I tried setting a timer and spending 10 minutes reading a story. This method really surprised me because I read the story a lot faster than I thought I would. This made me realize that I was rushing through it and not taking enough time to really appreciate the story. I think that setting a timer is great for things that I really need to make myself slow down on, especially this class! I think that this strategy will help me give a lot better feedback to others' stories.

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Overall, I think that the copy-and-delete strategy was my favorite. This strategy would be especially helpful for longer readings. Reading out loud is really only helpful for me with shorter readings or just to get my mind re-focused. I think that the timed reading will be especially helpful for this class, but I'm not sure when else I will use it. I think that all three strategies are very helpful, but all in different contexts!

(This rabbit seems very focused...he's probably reading out loud. Wikimedia)

Story: Sandy & Rob

Sandy and Rob were the perfect couple. They were the typical high school sweethearts who had been dating for years. Sandy was the captain of the cheerleading squad and Rob was the quarterback of the football team. Many boys had eyes for Sandy, but Sandy only saw Rob. She was the most faithful and good-hearted girlfriend. However, there was one boy who had fallen especially hard for Sandy. His name was Ravi and he had always dreamed of being with Sandy. He looked for any slip up by Rob to make his move. Unfortunately for Ravi, Rob was just as faithful as Sandy.

But on one fateful day, Ravi approached Sandy with news that he thought would change both of their lives forever.

It was halftime of a Friday night football game when Ravi approached her. “Hey Sandy, can I talk to you?” Ravi asked.

“Of course!” Sandy exclaimed with a smile, “What’s up?”

Ravi pulled Sandy aside, as not to make a scene. “Unfortunately, it’s not the best news…”

Ravi proceeded to tell Sandy how he had seen Rob with another girl. He told her about how he wanted to give Rob the benefit of the doubt, but then he saw him kiss the girl. Knowing that Sandy wouldn’t believe it, he pulled out photo evidence.

“I’m sorry Sandy. I know this is kind of creepy and maybe not my place, but I just wanted to protect you. You are a beautiful and amazing girl. Nobody wants to see you get hurt or taken advantage of.”

Sandy couldn’t believe her ears. How could Rob betray her? She didn’t want to believe what she was hearing, but it was hard to dismiss the evidence that was sitting right in front of her. Her face burned red and her eyes welled up with tears. She looked to the ground to try to hide the emotions that were overwhelming her body. She would give anything to be anywhere but here in this moment.

“I’m so sorry, Sandy,” Ravi said with a sympathetic look on his face. He moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder as he softly whispered, “you deserve a lot better”.

Sandy felt disgusted. Regardless of what she deserved, she didn’t want anyone else. Just as she was about to thank Ravi for his kindness, he moved even closer. He put his arm around her. While Sandy knew that he was only trying to comfort her, she felt uneasy.

“I’m sorry Ravi, I just don’t feel comfortable with this. Rob may have hurt me, but I am still his girlfriend. I will be faithful to him until the end. No amount of information could change my mind about this.”

Annoyed, Ravi stood abruptly and threw the photos to the ground. Without another word, he stormed away.

Sandy was confused by his ridiculous behavior, but was happy to be left alone.

She looked to the ground and picked up the photos. How could it be true? This was not the Rob she knew.

Then she noticed something.

The pictures looked odd. When she looked closer, she realized some major distortion on the photos. These pictures have been edited! Instantly, she felt like a fool for believing Ravi. How disgusting that he would use these phony photos to try to steal her away from Rob. Sandy felt relieved that it wasn’t true, but furious that Ravi could be so devious. 

(The football game where Ravi confronted Sandy. Source)

Author’s note: In the scene “Rama Attacks” from the Public Domain Edition of the Ramayana, Ravana tries to trick Sita into believing that Rama has been killed so that he can have her for himself. He even uses false evidence. For my story, Rob was inspired by Rama, Sandy was Sita, and Ravi was Ravana. I was inspired by some of the other stories I’ve read where the Ramayana was transformed into a more modern tale. In this scene, I was moved by Sita’s continuing faithfulness to Rama. I also thought that Ravana’s tricks were very typical to the everyday evils and temptations that we face. These were the themes that I wanted to reflect in my story.

Bibliography:Public Domain Edition Ramayana: Rama Attacks

http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/pde-ramayana-rama-attacks.html

Reading Notes: Public Domain Ramayana, Part D

Rama Attacks
In this scene, Ravana tries to trick Sita into believing that Rama has been slain. She believes him and immediately wishes to join him in death. However, she soon realizes that this was a trick. I think that her loyalty to Rama is truly beautiful. Ravana seems to have endless tricks up his sleeve, as many evil forces in our lives do...trying to trick us into making poor decisions. I think this could be turned into a more modern story somehow.

Indrajit
In this scene, Garuda comes to the aid of Rama and Lakshmana when they appeared to be dead. Unfortunately, Ravana showed Sita the image of Rama and Lakshmana appearing to be lifeless on the ground. I can only imagine her despair at this time.

Kumbhakarna
This was an interesting scene. Kumbhakarna is the sleeping giant who wakes to eat scary amounts of food, animals, and people. It was a little strange, but I think you could make a modern spinoff somehow.

Lakshmana and Indrajit
This time, Indrajit tries to convince Rama that Sita has been slain. Again, Sita and Rama's love is extremely apparent. These scenes really touch my heart and would be easy to re-tell in a modern way.

At the end of the scene, Lakshmana kills Indrajit.

Ravana's Lament
This scene actually made me sympathize for Ravana. No father wants to have to bury his son. His lament was surprisingly heartfelt and emotional. However, his reaction to kill Sita was unwarranted. I'm glad that they did not let him go through with that plan!

Indra's Chariot
I had almost forgotten that the gods were the ones who planned for Rama to defeat Ravana. This is such an interesting plot of the story.

Mandodari's Lament
This lament was very heartfelt and sad. I know that it is custom for these men to have several wives, but it was send when Mandodari talked about him wanting Sita and forgetting about his wife. I think that this could be turned into a modern story. There is still the underlying theme of forgetting what you already have and lusting over what you wish you had.

Sita and Rama
I hate this part. I was excited for Sita and Rama to be reunited and this was rather devastating. Sita was kidnapped and raped...this was not her fault, but Rama is no longer attached to her.

Sita Tested
I loved that Sita stood up for herself and demanded that everyone know the truth. She is a very powerful female character and I would like to write more stories about her and maybe about this scene.

Here, Rama also learns the truth about who he is and what he was meant to do.

Rama and Bharata
Here, Rama comes back and the sandals are placed back on his feet!

Valmiki's Hermitage
I could not believe that after all that Rama would banish Sita. However, I love the part of the scene when Rama comes across the two sons that he doesn't know are his.

Source: http://ouocblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/ramayana-online-public-domain-edition.html

(My favorite part of today's reading was when Sita was tested and protected from the fire. Source)

Story: Vali's Revenge

My name is Vali. I am a strong, powerful leader and I have had many opportunities to display my great strength. I have a brother whose name is Sugriva. He is also a very powerful fighter. Unfortunately, he is not as dependable as I am. Being reliable is essential to being a leader, but Sugriva is an evil traitor. Family values are of utmost importance to me and I refuse to accept someone who has no respect for blood. As we speak, I am on my way to engage him in battle. Before we begin, I will give you the backstory.

-------

Years ago, I was fighting an enemy who took our battle beneath the surface of the earth. Timid to travel underground, I made Sugriva promise me that he would watch the mouth of the hole and wait for my return.

Sugriva promised.

The battle raged on for months upon months, but I finally killed the foe. I was exhausted but excited to share the news with my brother. I hurried up the tunnel, but when I reached the top…it was filled in. I had no escape—I was stuck underground! I had used every ounce of my strength killing this beast and didn’t know if I had it in me to break through the ground. I rested for weeks and finally built up the strength to crash through the mountain that sat atop me.

How could my brother do this to me? I thought to myself that surely it had been a mistake. However, when I arrived back to Kishkindha, I saw none other than my beloved brother ruling my subjects.

I have never felt so betrayed.

I banished my brother and took away his wife. I truly believed that this was not punishment enough, but I couldn’t bring myself to kill someone who shared my blood.

However, I have received word that Sugriva wishes to engage me in battle. Perhaps now I will truly bring justice to the situation by removing this fiend from our family completely.

-------

When I saw Sugriva arriving, a fire of anger lit inside me. How dare this traitor show his face again!?

My wife, Tara, had begged me not to engage in this battle, but I knew I had made the right decision. I had to right the wrongs that had been done to me. There was no way that I would not win.

With power and rage, the fight began. Sugriva quickly uprooted a tree that he flung toward me. The blow slowed me down, but would not deter me. Enraged by the nerve of this conspirator, I used every inch of power and might that I could find within me for battle. Unfortunately for me, Sugriva was a powerful opponent. I should have guessed as much; our family is full of the biggest and strongest.

The fight raged on for hours. After what seemed like an eternity, I could tell that I was beginning to wear him down. A boulder that I threw at him landed on his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. In an instant, I stood atop him, ready to make my move. With my hands in the air, I was ready to unleash the move that would end my brother’s life.

Nothing could stop me…or so I thought.

“Vali, halt!” said a voice from behind me. I turned to see none other than my beautiful wife standing there, startled and out of breath. I was always delighted to see her shining face, but today’s timing was not ideal.

“What in the world is it!?” I snapped.

In this moment, Sugriva escaped my grasp and sprang into action.

“Sugriva, don’t you move either,” my wife began. “I have information that will change this entire situation.”

Confused, we ceased fighting and turned toward my wife. What information could she possible have that was vital enough to risk her life by coming into this war zone?

It was then that Tara told me the words that began to break my heart. She told me that she believed Sugriva’s story that he had not meant to cause me harm. I could not believe that she could possibly turn against me.

But then, a vulture appeared from the sky and stood beside her.

“Wise brothers,” said the vulture, “I was in the woods the day that this rivalry began. I watched as Sugriva guarded a mysterious hole in the ground for over a year. I could not fathom what could possibly be in this hole that was so important. It captivated my attention enough that I never left watch. Soon enough, there was a horrendous scream and blood escaped from the hole. I saw young Sugriva mourn and weep. I knew that whatever he had been guarding was no longer surviving in that hole. Respectfully, Sugriva closed the hole and paid proper homage. When Sugriva left the hole, I did as well. I assumed there was nothing left to see. I never knew what had been in that hole until today. When I came across Tara, she told me the tale of the feuding brothers and expressed her concern about this battle. I knew that I had to come tell my tale before it was too late.” And with that, the vulture bowed and flew away.

I could not believe my ears. My stomach churned. I could not tell if I was feeling guilt or relief. I was thankful to discover that my brother had never wronged me, but I was sickened to realize that I lived the past decade of my life insulted over a misunderstanding. With a humble heart, I stuck out my hand. I forgave Sugriva and I hoped that he could forgive me too. Without hesitation, my brother firmly grasped my hand with a look of sincerity in his eyes. I knew that I could not undo what happened over the last ten years, but I was thankful to have my brother back.

(Sugriva and Vali reuniting. Source)

Author’s Note: This story is based off of the scene Sugriva’s Story from the Public Domain Edition of the Mahabharata. I kept the context and character profiles very close to the original. For the background information at the beginning of my story, I used the original background information from the story of Sugriva and Vali. However, in the actual scene, Sugriva comes back from banishment for revenge and kills his brother. Being the family-oriented person that I am, I hated the idea of feuding brothers. I especially hated that it ended with one of the brothers being killed. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to write a story with a happier ending. In the original story, the whole ordeal is a misunderstanding. I changed the story by having the vulture tell his account of what actually happened. What the vulture saw was the same as what happened in the original story. I just added the character of the vulture to bring light to the misunderstanding. I also changed the story by having it told from Vali’s perspective. I knew that Vali had a lot of built up anger, so having it told from his side made the truth coming out even more of a shock. I really enjoyed writing the story from a new perspective and creating a happy ending from an originally tragic one. It was a fun challenge!


Bibliography:
Public Domain Ramayana: Sugriva's Story

Reading Notes: Public Domain Ramayana, Part C

Sugriva and Hanuman
I loved Hanuman's reaction to Rama's words. You could tell that they were in desperately in need of help and overjoyed at the thought of receiving it. I thought it was interesting that Sugriva had such a similar experience.

Sugriva's Story
Sugriva's story was so sad. The quarrel was all based on a misunderstanding. Instead of seeking revenge on Vali, I think it would be interesting to prove that Sugriva believed that he was being loyal to Vali and never meant to harm him.

Sugriva and Vali
I loved the emotion that Tara showed in this scene. She was sad and scared about her husband fighting Sugriva and Rama. I think it would be interesting to make a spinoff story about this.

The Rainy Season
This scene really spoke to me. Rama's lament was so heartfelt and sorrowful. I really liked all of the emotion that was felt here. I think it would be interesting to write about what is going on from Sita's perspective during this time. It would even be interesting to go back and forth between Rama and Sita. They obviously both love and miss each other very much. I'm drawn to writing about this topic.

Sampati
I love the vulture characters, and I liked that Jatayu's brother entered this scene. This adds another motive to find Sita, not that they needed one. I think it would be cool to write something where Jatayu comes back...maybe as a ghost, to help them find Sita.

Sita and Ravana
This scene really struck me. The bond between Sita and Rama is so strong, and the fact that someone is trying to lure Sita away from Rama is sickening. This would be an interesting scene to write from Sita's perspective.

Hanuman and Sita
It would also be interesting to write about this scene from Sita's perspective. I'm sure she is overwhelmed with joy at the hope of being saved, but she is still wary of trusting anyone.

The Burning of Lanka
Hanuman's tail burning Lanka was an unexpected twist. The thing I have noticed about the Indian epics is that they frequently throw in something that I didn't see coming. I think it would be fun to write something about this scene. I love the joy at the end of the scene when they realize that Hanuman had found Sita.

Vibhishana
I appreciated the voice of reason that came from Vibhishana. I loved when he was banished and joined forces with Rama. I think it would be really cool to write this part from Vibhishana's perspective. We don't know a lot about him at this point. I could do more research, or I could use this space for creativity.

(The image of Hanuman's tail setting fire to Lanka was one of my favorite pictures from today's reading. Source)

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback is tricky thing. It is something that we all love and hate. On the surface, everyone wants feedback. If I can be better somehow, I want someone to tell me! However, when it comes to actually receiving feedback, it's never as fun as it sounds. I think the problem with feedback is that is often feels like a personal attack.

To use the example of this class, when I leave a constructive comment on someone's story or project, I'm telling them how I think they could make their story better. I know that this has nothing to do with who they are as a person. We are a class, working together toward a common goal of making great stories and getting good grades. However, when I read a constructive comment on my own stories...it's hard not to take it personal. These stories (just like anything else in life that you receive feedback on) are something that you put a lot of thought and effort into. We are often proud of our work, so any suggestion can feel like an attack; that is just human nature.

I think the best way to make feedback easier to swallow is to remember to compliment what you like. You might have heard about the idea that you should "sandwich" feedback by putting compliments on either side.

Example: This story is really great! I like how you made Character A interact with Character B. But perhaps you could develop more on Character B's past. I think it would make the story flow better. I loved the character and would love to learn more about him!

Now, I've often heard this method critiqued because it seems like you are beating around the bush or not being straightforward with your feedback. However, I disagree. I think when we are trying to help each other, we need to make sure we tell them what we do like and what we don't like. Knowing what's good is just as important as knowing what needs work.

I think that as long as you are being honest, giving positive feedback can make the constructive criticism easier to take.

As for taking criticism, my favorite thing to remember is that you are more likely to succeed when you become comfortable with being uncomfortable. As one of the articles mentioned, feedback is uncomfortable! Sometimes, it is downright hard to take. But once you become more comfortable with this, you become better at taking criticism and learn how it will help you grow.

It's important to remember that the person giving you feedback just sees additional potential in you. At the end of the day, you want to be as successful as possible, and feedback is the way to get there!

(One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in college is the benefit of asking for feedback as much as possible! Moodle)