The Importance of Not Living in a Vacuum

I've been a writer for a very, very long time. And though my mastery of the English language is still questionable ("Me fail English? That's unpossible!"), it's a hobby that produces amazing rewards; I say hobby because I have sources of income which do not depend on publishing, or rather me personally publishing my own stuff; irony, coincidence, or fate's mighty hand, I work for a publishing company. It's also a hobby for what it gives back to me; though it is a solitary activity, if the writer cannot receive feedback for the work, he (or she) will miss reaping some amazing rewards.

We called it "questions/comments/opinions/problems" back in the day (circa 4th grade to present) when we used to swap ideas and script pages looking for scathing criticism, insight, or maybe the occasional pat on the back. Although praise is great to receive in the editing stage, sometimes it makes you wonder what you really missed -- criticism is the most valuable plot and idea stirring tool, and though sometimes it stings, it usually ends up being constructive. Questions, comments, even unwarranted opinions (e.g., "Excellent speech made by 'Senoj'; however, I think he needs a little more cow bell.") about what you meant can lead you in different directions or make you discover things you would have [probably] never thought about ("Maybe he DOES need more cow bell...") on your own. It's a pretty cool thing when someone reads what you wrote, asks a relevant or related question, and it spurs you to realize a new angle, solution, or just better understanding of the subject.

Jesse's comments (note: they are riddled with spoilers) on my Matrix: Revolutions babble spurred my imagination to discover things about the movie that I had reached impass with myself. I'll post the thoughts later, not in white-out but slathered with SPOILER, but I wanted to first thank all the people that have provided feedback, sincere or not, over the years, especially Jaquandor. Every now and then I'm reminded of the many ways in which writing is its own reward, and those are great days.