A new way of looking at writing

I've been reading Ray Rhamey's Flogging the Quill off and on for some time now. He often has good insights into the craft. Yesterday he posted something that really jumped out at me: Toiling in the lands of the blind and tone-deaf. He described new writers as often being blind -- writing by feel but unable to see where they need to improve their craft and story. I can relate to that. When I first wrote my novel, I thought it was wonderful. And most people who read also enjoyed it. But I've gotten more feedback from writers with more experience (and from an editor who rejected it) and I'm beginning to see where I can improve it.

Then Ray talks about writers who are tone-deaf. Because writing is not only vision, but music. Language is music -- it has a rhythm, a flow. And he's not sure how to help writers who have no sense of that rhythm -- who are tone-deaf.

I think what he says makes sense. I've read writing by people that needed a lot of work, but the music of the language was there. This is an interesting way of looking at writing. Very eye-opening.