Letters to the Editor
-
sorry, it's tedious
The point in criticizing is not to be "mean" to the author, it's to voice an opinion about a trend in contemporary writing. Coming-of-age stories can be good, and the topic of contemporary sexual mores is potentially interesting. But as you read this piece, you can't get away from an awareness of how pleased Crosley is with her self-portrait. The charming flourishes and clever anecdotes aren't as charming or clever as she thinks they are and it becomes distracting.
Good writers are able to write about themselves without being narcissistic. But it requires you to keep the audience in the forefront of your mind--will this really seem illuminating and resonant to people who don't know me, or who don't necessarily live in my world? I'm sure this would be a sparkling piece to Crosley's circle of friends, but it's tedious to those who don't live in that world.
Crosley is young and it shows. Young writers get better by recognizing how their writing reads to outsiders.