QUESTIONS
I am enamored by smart people. Seriously. It blows me away how there are some in this world who retain knowledge like a sponge.
I often wonder, is it their genes? Did they listen really well in school? Get a masters?
Maybe they just weren't afraid to ask QUESTIONS.
I'll admit, in school I wasn't the kid sitting up straight in the front row, pencil at the ready. I also haven't finished college (yet) or feel I know as much as the next person about History, Science, politics...I could keep going on. Back in the day, when I was young and foolish, it didn't matter. Now it does, and the learning I missed out on makes me sad. But I still have one thing going for me. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and ask QUESTIONS. And I have a load of QUESTIONS to ask.
In my opinion, there are no stupid QUESTIONS (unless you mean for them to be stupid) because for you, at that time, it's what you need to know. And if you are willing to learn, in my book, you're as smart as any book genius, any day. Knowledge is power right?
Relating this to the writing industry, it's a big industry. There is still so much I don't know that many of you may already know. And there are things I've probably learned that some of you haven't yet. We are a smorgasbord of knowledge just waiting to be tapped into by each other. Let's take advantage of that.
Don't be afraid to ask QUESTIONS. And don't let anyone look down their nose at you for asking. As smart as the smartest person is, they were once in a similar circumstance and asked QUESTIONS too. And if they think they're too smart to ask QUESTIONS anymore, or that they're better than you because you ask them...well, they probably aren't that smart to begin with.
Sound off. Do you have QUESTIONS? Or answers to QUESTIONS you've asked that may help others?
18 comments:
One of the smartest people I know would spend the day with a small notebook, and anything she heard that she didn't know, she wrote it down and researched until she did. Between parenting and teaching, I spend my life teaching how to ask and find answers to questions. Great post.
It's better than quarelling.
I find that I keep asking questions in the majority of my blog posts. Questions are the only way to get answers, and answers are the best way to learn.
I recently read a great book called Academy 7 where the motto of the academy was "Question. Commit. Strive." can you imagine going to a school where they actually expect you to question everything, instead of merely digest what's being taught?? I think questioning instead of taking for granted is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
Visiting A-Z blogger and new follower.
Asking questions does help a lot when you're querying, or preparing to query, or trying to find the perfect classification of your manuscript. I made a lot of mistakes when I was querying my contemporary historical Bildungsroman last spring, and I could've avoided so many rejections if I'd had more information about how to really write a query, and not just assumed anything with young characters had to be YA. Now I know better how to query a deliberately long book.
I hope I never lose my questions because then you're too full of yourself and can become unteachable. and I always want to be teachable.
I agree with you questions are the key to growth and knowledge. I think we do our best learning when curiosity and inspiration collide.
Lots of other great comments. Being able to ask questions is a gift.
Questions are good, because knowledge is good.
I love asking questions, I do it constantly. I don't think I ever grew out of that childhood thing of wanting to know everything. Whether big questions or small, seemingly irrelevant stuff, I just have to know the answer.
People I know are smart in so many different ways. It doesn't matter if a person has the piece of paper from a school or not-- it's the people who constantly absorb and ask more who know the most. IMHO
I feel totally overwhelmed with questions about writing, I have so many I don't even know where to start. I'm just trying to absorb as much as I can, and you're right, we have to have the courage to ask questions, otherwise we'll never learn. Great choice for Q.
Questions are great. I always ask questions. I learnt long ago not to pretend to know something that I don't. Great post.
Asking questions is one of my most powerful techniques at work.
I think people have a real fear of appearing ignorant. There's so much in the world that I know nothing about that I've long ago resigned myself to my ignorance and am perfectly comfortable with it :)
In school, I *was* that kid sitting in the front row, but I wasn't asking questions--too darned shy! I agree with you, though, that asking questions is critical for writers, and for all kinds of reasons. If we're too afraid to ask questions, how will we improve our writing, learn how to market ourselves, learn how to finagle ourselves agents and publishers?
Enjoyed your post--I'll be back for more!
Questions are good unless they are directed at me and I don't know the answers.
Teresa
It's amazing that we are all able to absorb knowledge from each other and share information. What a community! If I want to know more about something someone's written in a post, I ask a question. I'm still new to the industry so I want to find out all I can!
I ask millions of questions! At any given moment, there are probably at least a half dozen questions pinging through my brain. I love the children's writing community because there are so many ways to get questions answered. The most pressing question on my mind right now is this: When is dinner going to be ready?
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