(Madisyn Taylor)
The right to make your own choices is a precious one. We grow when we have the freedom to decide our own paths and determine what makes us happy. Yet there are those who are inclined to try and control others. They may be driven by insecurity, envy, fear, or the need for power. These people are deeply critical of themselves in their own minds, and underlying that critical nature is unhappiness. Their need to feel sure-footed and secure is quenched by controlling those around them, whether they are friends, colleagues, or even pets. However, nearly everyone has found themselves imposing their will upon others at one time or another.
If you've caught yourself being a bit bossy on a regular basis, make a note of it. Write down what the situation was and why you acted the way you did. You may have pushed a friend to try something new, because deep inside you wanted to try it yourself. Or you may be unjustly interfering with work teammates because you aren't sure of their abilities. Make an effort to understand and accept their preferences and ways of doing things. It can feel natural to impose your will when you feel that you "know best." But there is a freedom to trusting others to find their own methods and joys, even when they might differ from yours. Sometimes the best course of action is to step back and relinquish control. You may, in doing so, see everything from a different point of view.
My Thoughts:
I always maintain that the appreciation of all forms of art and crafts is subjective … we do not all like the same stuff, which is a good thing, but this does not always lend itself to being able to provide constructive feedback.
Writing tutors see many different styles, in a vast array of subjects, and needless to say not all of them are things that are liked, but the art, as I see it is to provide comments that will allow the person writing to see things from a different angle. To give them a chance to appreciate how others view the way they write. The content is immaterial as to weather it is something that is of your choice, as the feedback should primarily be concerned with the way it is written.
That said, it is natural to be influenced by the subject matter. It is always easier to read things that appeal to you as you will have a better understanding of just where the writer is coming from. However, the expression of personal preferences or opinions have no place in the response to writing as a practice, well as far as I am concerned anyway, even though many do not agree with that, especially academics. Unfortunately, I found that the trick to getting good marks when undertaking creative writing as a degree course, was to work out what floated the markers boat and simply write within those parameters.