musings about writing

[mickeym]

Do you ever go back and re-read a story you've written and wonder who actually wrote that, because you have no memory of the words flowing and making sense the way they do?

Maybe it's getting some distance from the story that makes that happen? I dunno. I've been looking over last year's Big Bang, and while I remember agonizing over parts of it (like the part where OMG AM I EVER GOING TO GET THIS FINISHED), reading it now is like: "...*blink*...I wrote this? Really? When?"

I don't get that with all my stories, but I really feel it with some. Any of the rest of y'all do that/feel that? Or is it just me?

Comments

[miafeliz.livejournal.com]

Yes. Last night I ended up reading some of my old Highlander fanfic during a conversation on AIM and I honestly couldn't remember writing some of those words at all. I also find myself rereading current WIP and find myself wondering the same things.

I can see that my writing has improved through the years, but I still feel very insecure about it all.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

God, there's some of my old(er) stuff I won't even look at, because looking at it would bring ALL my insecurities surging up. I'm a lot better about believing in myself and my writing these days, but holy cow, my Sentinel fic? *shudders*

I'm glad it's not just me, though :)

[zortified.livejournal.com]

It was your Sentinel fic that I loved first about your writing! So either it isn't that bad, or I had no taste. ;-)

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Hee! I'll go with 'not that bad', because you have awesome taste ;) But I've come a long way from that. I don't think I was ever *bad*, just, inexperienced. If that makes sense?

[miafeliz.livejournal.com]

I really wish I was still writing fanfic because I'm not getting that feedback anymore, and it was great to be able to post a story, have comments (good and bad) come into the inbox and feed the writer's ego.

But, reading some of the old stuff, made me wonder how people ever complimented my writing. Heh.

[starweather.livejournal.com]

Haha, I get that a lot. I read back through a bunch of my fic yesterday night, and with some of them, I was like, dude, this is really good, am I sure I wrote this? And with a lot of the others, I am like, OH GOD WHAT WAS I THINKING.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, the WHAT WAS I THINKING, yes. My Sentinel fic, in particular, as well as my Star Trek stuff. *shudders* Good intentions, good potential, very little good execution *g*

I guess we all gotta start somewhere? *g* But yeah, some of it I have to go check that it has my name on it, because it's good. And it makes sense. And how did that happen? o_O

[clumsygyrl.livejournal.com]

all the time. haha.

[zortified.livejournal.com]

I've gotten feedback before and been totally clueless as to what story they're talking about, even when they mention the title and characters. And I'm all "...did I write this?"

[quiet000001.livejournal.com]

I've read stuff of mine before (or snippets I found on my laptop or whatever) and been like "wait. This is really good. I wrote this? When?" :)

[hunters-retreat.livejournal.com]

I do that all the freaking time! I think it has something to do with the fact that I write really fast. In most cases they are one shots so there isn't a lot of planning or intense editing after the fact. So whenever I go back to something I wrote i'm just like... huh... I did that??

[nomelon.livejournal.com]

I definitely get that sometimes, which is all good when it's, "hey, this is AWESOME. Am I sure I wrote this??" and not "oh dear GOD this fic needs to be salted and burned. What was I THINKING??" Actually, yesterday I randomly found a link to an olllllld fic of mine. I read through a couple of chapters, cringing at the terrible cheesiness, then had to run away screaming.

[nopseud]

Dude, when we were writing Absinthe I often didn't recognise what I'd written the next day. :-)

[epeeblade]

Yes, this happens to me all the time. Especially when I look at something really long and wonder "when did I have the time to write all this?"

[honeymull.livejournal.com]

I've been spring cleaning my room, which includes going through the 20+ journals and notebooks from high school and up (they've been shoved in a dresser for years, nice and tucked away, but we're selling the house now, so EVERYTHING COMES OUT to be dissected) and there's some writing in their that just does not ping for me as my own writing. It's the creepiest thing to me, trying to remember. I have a distinct headspace I get in while writing, and it's just. Very peculiar, and somewhat off putting to not have ANY sense of that headspace again when I look at something I've done. I don't know how to explain it, but there it is.

I sound crazy, now. :D

[honeymull.livejournal.com]

Augh, typos. D: Wow. Fucked up a "their/there", even - hello, third grade.

[geneli4.livejournal.com]

almost always. ♥

[deanvica23.livejournal.com]

you will write the sequel for the big bang of the last summer? I love much the fic when dean is alive.please sequel.