You ever look at something you wrote, say, a year ago, something you thought at the time was pretty good, and realize it kinda sucks?
Ain't that a drag?
Conversely, do you ever re-read something you wrote a while back that you thought sucked at the time, but it turns out it was actually not bad at all?
Not so much of a drag.
But I swear, I'm the absolute worst judge of my own work sometimes.
I was looking over an old story I wrote-- in fact, it was the first story I ever sold, a peice called Battle of the Carson Hotel... started cringing because, well, it's not a bad story but man there are bits that are just sloppy ane embarrasingly amatuerish.
And then I started going over this novel I had begun a couple years ago called The Scarab. It was something I'd given up on almost 300 pages into it, because it felt awkward and pointless... but, reading it now, with all the fine details gone from my memory, I found myself actually enjoying it. Turns out it's actually pretty damn good.
Does this happen to anyone else?
yes, probably happens all the time
ReplyDeleteYes. This happens to me a lot (especially since I'm still using the same computer I wrote my first reasonably good works on). The problem for me is usually not so much with the writing itself but with the structure -- it has taken me a long time to even think about knowing how to plot, and depending on what slush reader you ask, I still haven't gotten it figured out.
ReplyDeleteHi! Heath Lowrance...
ReplyDeleteHeath Lowrance said,"Does this happen to anyone else?
But Of course, this always happened to me in (H)igh school...I would write a paper (or papers) and then when I looked back at my writings, I would..."cringe." (for lack Of a better word...) Therefore, you aren't alone when you, ask this question to your readers.
DeeDee ;-D
All the time. But , when I look back at some of my stories (good or bad) they always bring back the emotions I was feeling at that time which is kinda cool.
ReplyDeleteAll the time. In fact, passages I recall struggling with and dreading are sometimes better than once that just poured out.
ReplyDelete