PHOTOGRAPH BY JEAN FRANÇOIS CAMPOS / AGENCE VU

To my creative-writing classmates,

I am submitting this letter to you in lieu of a short story, which was the assignment for this week. When I enrolled in this creative-writing course, I knew to expect some criticism, but I'm still a little shaken up about what happened last time we met. I think there's a lot to clear up regarding the overwhelmingly negative feedback I received for my short story "Creative-Writing Beatdown," about a guy who beats up the other students in his creative-writing class after they are overly critical of his work.

First off, a lot of you said that you felt uncomfortable reading "Creative-Writing Beatdown," because it was, in your words, "clearly autobiographical." This could not be further from the truth. Yes, the main character and I have the same name, and, yes, both he and I are in a creative-writing class, and, YES, we both have received some very harsh criticism from our creative-writing classmates. But that's where the parallels end. "Creative-Writing Beatdown" is purely a work of fiction, and not at all based on the events of my life. It is a simple redemption tale, featuring a classic anti-hero.

I suppose that I should address the fact that the protagonist's classmates in "Creative-Writing Beatdown" all have the same names as you. A lot of you were upset by that, but I assure you that it was entirely coincidental. I guess when I was coming up with names for the people in the fictional creative-writing class, I subconsciously drew from my experience in this creative-writing class. That was not deliberate. I was just as surprised as you when I realized that the beatdown victims in the story shared your names, and your general physical descriptions.

Now that I think about it, I can see why you were particularly upset by the part in the story when, after beating up his entire creative-writing class, the main character says, "THAT'S for criticizing my use of em dashes," which is something that you guys have criticized me for. But, please, my friends—listen—that was another coincidence—and I was not offended by your notes about my "misuse of the em dash"—.

The fact is that you were excessively critical of "Creative-Writing Beatdown" when you called it "obnoxious" and "childish." Like I said, I can handle constructive criticism. For example, you had not-such-nice things to say about my first short story, "Fish Cop," a drama about a cop who switches bodies with a fish and uses his cop experience to fight crime in the sea. But I took your notes, let them marinate, and ultimately learned from them.

I think that if you all were able to shake the delusion that "Creative-Writing Beatdown" was supposed to be about me beating you up, you could focus on what is successful about the story. For example, I believe that the main character is superbly complex—on the one hand, he is a skilled and sensitive writer, but, on the other, he is misunderstood by his peers and also very strong, so he's driven to do things like beat up his entire creative-writing class. There is a certain duality of character at play there that I think is beautiful and tragic. Also, I think the imagery in the scenes where he beats up his creative-writing class is quite vivid.

Re-read the main character's final monologue with fresh eyes and tell me that you're not moved:

Wow, it looks like my creative-writing class sure learned a valuable lesson about being mean, and I think it's safe to say that the other students were wrong about "Fish Cop." Justice was served here today, but, even though I know I did the right thing, I would hate to have to beat up my creative-writing class again . . .

All that being said, I will accept some of your feedback. I do agree with you that it's weird that the story occasionally changes from the third-person to the first-person perspective. Also, I guess the end, when the main character has sex with the teacher and then they get married, was a little tacked on. Mrs. Weissman, I'm sorry that you, in particular, were so underwhelmed by that conclusion. Endings can be very hard.

Please give "Creative-Writing Beatdown" another chance, because I think you will appreciate it more now, and also because you should refamiliarize yourself with it before next class, when I'll be presenting "Creative-Writing Beatdown, Part Two."