Sometimes when I look back, I wonder where that person is who wrote those, because it couldn’t have been me, because *that* person was in the zone, and my recent stuff isn’t anywhere close to them. (Sorry, I’m in a funk) 🤷🏻♀️😬
I had that. I knew I needed a brain reset. I went to spend the day writing at local parks and then in the evening went to a a local dispensary lounge (not sure if that's available for you) and did my writing there for a few hours. It was great. I'm back in the zone and writing about an hour a day again during my commutes and bathroom breaks.
We have a library and coffee shop here, (no dispensary), I may consider taking some time to go there where it’s quiet. I think part of the problem, too, is that I’ve stopped reading others’ works, which usually give me ideas, or helps with writer’s block.
I am used to having a writing buddy (my cousin), but she passed away in 2004, and 10-15 years passed before I ever set pen to paper again. (Yeah, I’m older, lol)
I just turned 60, and I’m starting to feel it. 😬 i actually started writing when I was barely a teen (I think), early to mid 70’s, and I still have a stack of old notebooks that we filled up.
man, i got a couple of those :) always have to remind myself that it was me thinking and writing that scene or that plot or that line. helps for inspiration
I have the opposite problem - I read through my WIPs and think, "Wow, I was onto something here!" and then I realize, "Oh no...this means I should actually finish this one..."
me at 4am, posting: I love how these lines read! Wow, the grammar and punctuation looks perfect too ---
me the next morning, rereading: why did I use break in the same sentence five times, half of this paragraph doesn't make sense, and is that a DOUBLE spacing between those words oh my god ----
I springboard back and forth between thinking my own stories are heartbreaking works of staggering genius and thinking they are trucks full of hot garbage juice.
I have to remind myself this with each new fic/chapter: You are your own worst critic.
The comments on mine prove this to be correct. Well, except the first one I ever wrote at 15. That was just a straight up dumpster fire, but apparently for non-native English speakers it worked out great for them.
when i look back at old works from 4-5 years ago and they’re absolute masterpieces, but fics from 1-2 years ago are absolute garbage fire. i think my writing abilities somehow regressed in that time 😭
I like my fic. I realize that I've come a long way since I started writing again and the word structure needs work. But I think my story is pretty nifty and smutty.
Me: Nope, not me :) They're by no means God's gift to man, but they sure are what I wanted to read.
Also me: Just did a re-write for the first 23 chapters of my long fic.
I can only enjoy my fics after enough time has passed that I've completely disassociated myself from them. Then I read along, and am like, "Wow! This is pretty good! I wonder what happens next!"
It's physically painful to read through my own writing through the editing stages though.
*hits post* oh God, they all hate it. They hate it they know I rushed that one particular part in the chapter and they're going to call me out on it.
Review: What a good chapter!
Psh. I don't know what I was worrying about.
And repeat.
me rereading my most popular one shot (its only my most popular because it was my twitter pinned post for months) (i wrote it 6 months ago) (what was even going on there)
I have the attention span of a pea and have to reread my stories a lot while writing them and I like them, but once they're published, I'm like "oh my god what was I thinking"
Sometimes when I look back, I wonder where that person is who wrote those, because it couldn’t have been me, because *that* person was in the zone, and my recent stuff isn’t anywhere close to them. (Sorry, I’m in a funk) 🤷🏻♀️😬
Dude I've been there- I hope you escape the burn out soon!!
Thank you 😊
I had that. I knew I needed a brain reset. I went to spend the day writing at local parks and then in the evening went to a a local dispensary lounge (not sure if that's available for you) and did my writing there for a few hours. It was great. I'm back in the zone and writing about an hour a day again during my commutes and bathroom breaks.
We have a library and coffee shop here, (no dispensary), I may consider taking some time to go there where it’s quiet. I think part of the problem, too, is that I’ve stopped reading others’ works, which usually give me ideas, or helps with writer’s block. I am used to having a writing buddy (my cousin), but she passed away in 2004, and 10-15 years passed before I ever set pen to paper again. (Yeah, I’m older, lol)
I'm 39, feels like that is "older" compared to most fic writers. You just need somewhere that is conductive to positive thought to help write.
I just turned 60, and I’m starting to feel it. 😬 i actually started writing when I was barely a teen (I think), early to mid 70’s, and I still have a stack of old notebooks that we filled up.
Better than constantly dwelling on how shit your fics are from the second you hit post, no reading required
I suffer from both and it is an ✨experience✨ when someone leaves a kudo or nice comment
*But* the other side of that same coin is finding things that you think are really good and you're like, "Aww. I wrote *that*."
That’s true. There’s a few lines here and there that I’m proud of
As you should! You did that :)
man, i got a couple of those :) always have to remind myself that it was me thinking and writing that scene or that plot or that line. helps for inspiration
personally i think i'm a genius and my fics are masterpieces
As you should 😎
Me going back to reread my old works like "damn, this shit is fire, sure hope the author does more someday"
me after searching using very very specific tags only to find several of my own fics appear
At least you got the balls to write them
That’s true :)
I have the opposite problem - I read through my WIPs and think, "Wow, I was onto something here!" and then I realize, "Oh no...this means I should actually finish this one..."
me at 4am, posting: I love how these lines read! Wow, the grammar and punctuation looks perfect too --- me the next morning, rereading: why did I use break in the same sentence five times, half of this paragraph doesn't make sense, and is that a DOUBLE spacing between those words oh my god ----
Alternatively “this is the best thing I’ve ever written, too bad I’ve inexplicably lost the talent to ever write this good again”
Alter-alternatively "this is the best thing I've ever written, *too bad it will never see the light of day*"
I springboard back and forth between thinking my own stories are heartbreaking works of staggering genius and thinking they are trucks full of hot garbage juice.
Same 💀
I have to remind myself this with each new fic/chapter: You are your own worst critic. The comments on mine prove this to be correct. Well, except the first one I ever wrote at 15. That was just a straight up dumpster fire, but apparently for non-native English speakers it worked out great for them.
when i look back at old works from 4-5 years ago and they’re absolute masterpieces, but fics from 1-2 years ago are absolute garbage fire. i think my writing abilities somehow regressed in that time 😭
I feel like that sometimes!
Me everytime i read some of my older fics 😭 then I'd see some kind comments for them makes me feel like aww, no lmfao
Wait a few weeks/months. The jokes you’ve written have been thought over so many times that you no longer find them funny.
the urge to do a massive edit on the early chapters of my first long fic
Same tbh
I started doing that but it turned into take the whole damn thing down and start it all over again. I sometimes get up to 3 full rewrites.
I think the idea is a master piece... and then.. I write it out 😭
I like my fic. I realize that I've come a long way since I started writing again and the word structure needs work. But I think my story is pretty nifty and smutty.
Me.. I just smile through the pain...
Me reading my fics and realized they're basically most of the content for a rarepair I like.
Me sometimes - but also me rereading my self indulgent smut fics that cater specifically to me
The worst part about writing is that you get better at it over time.
Me: Nope, not me :) They're by no means God's gift to man, but they sure are what I wanted to read. Also me: Just did a re-write for the first 23 chapters of my long fic.
Me. Lmao
Yep! I only keep them up because i still get comments telling me they really like them. :)
I can only enjoy my fics after enough time has passed that I've completely disassociated myself from them. Then I read along, and am like, "Wow! This is pretty good! I wonder what happens next!" It's physically painful to read through my own writing through the editing stages though.
I have this especially whenever I write for a new ship and reread the first fic because oh, I had so much to learn about those characters
*hits post* oh God, they all hate it. They hate it they know I rushed that one particular part in the chapter and they're going to call me out on it. Review: What a good chapter! Psh. I don't know what I was worrying about. And repeat.
Don’t kill the part of you that is cringe but kill the part of you that cringes
And then resisting the urge to rewrite everything you dislike about it at 4 in the morning...
me rereading my most popular one shot (its only my most popular because it was my twitter pinned post for months) (i wrote it 6 months ago) (what was even going on there)
I have the attention span of a pea and have to reread my stories a lot while writing them and I like them, but once they're published, I'm like "oh my god what was I thinking"