How happy are you with your own writing?

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

I always find myself looking at other people's work and being astonished at just how good some of it can be. Althanas has always had some excellent writers, but even some of what I would call the "mid-tier" stuff makes for great reading.

Yet, even though I know I am not a particularly bad writer, I look at my own stuff and it just feels sort of disjointed and all over the shop. I don't know whether or not this is just because I have a picture in my head of what I want to happen, and it doesn't quite translate like that onto the page, or whether it's because I'm a little rusty (I used to write here under a different name years ago but gave it up). Perhaps it's a bit of both.

So, how do you look at your own work? Are you happy with it? Do you feel like me or do you wake up in the morning and bask in the knowledge that you are a perfect being? :cool:

[hoytti]

Of course we are all a bit disappointed with our own writing. We are our worst critic. We know what we want with our writing (or anything else for that matter) and we think it doesn't reach par. It's just the way we are.

[Tobias Stalt]

Sub-par, do not like. Always go back and want to do things over.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

I can't stand reading anything I write.

I'll go back and make an editing pass, and then never look at it again.

[Ashla]

I really can hate my writing. I'm a lot better than I used to be, and I've got a talent according to several people I know. I still can easily pick out places I didn't do that great in (dang it setting!) I'm getting better though. Last several projects I've worked on I've been proud of.

[Skie and Avery]

I'm always happy with it in the moment, and then disappointed when I go back and read it later. So I rarely go back and read it.

[Rayleigh]

I'm always happy with it in the moment, and then disappointed when I go back and read it later. So I rarely go back and read it.


I'm the opposite. It feels clunky as I write it, but when I go back days later, I can appreciate it a bit more. Overall, I don't mind my writing. It's not perfect, and I'm not overly proud of it most days, but I don't hate it either. I recognize that I'm learning, and that this is a journey for me.

[Alydia Ettermire]

If it's heavily edited, I'm happy with it (for a while). If I've vomited it out and not touched it, I'm horrified by it. Objectively, I'm pretty decent. Subjectively? Omfg, so bad.

[Otto]

Everything I write is golden. Duh.

[Light]

Same here. Sometimes I feel like it just flows out, then I re-read it the next day and I hate it. I want to re-write the whole thing! It's like constant battle in my head on whether it makes sense to the reader or not. Plus looking at the amazing people on this site and how they can write, can be discouraging sometimes. But like Rayleigh said, it is a journey! :)

[Lye]

I just write. Sometimes, I won't edit. My core focus is getting my character to enact his/her story in the way I envision it. I only go back and refine the posts/threads I'm particularly proud of. Even then, I accept that there will always be people better or worse than me and try not to dwell on it for too long.

Someone once told me that by a sheer factor of numbers, one third of people will dislike you, one third will like you, and that last third doesn't care either way.

So, just be yourself and make sure that you are one of the people that likes what you do.

[Medeia]

I'm usually pretty satisfied with my final posts, unless it's a style of writing I'm not used to. Oftentimes I worry that my back and forth between characters feels forced and wooden, so I will usually go back through a story several times, tweaking here and there until I feel moderately satisfied with it.

I tend to be a perfectionist, so I notice things wrong with my writing others might overlook. Indeed, we our own worst critics, so you're definitely not alone in this sentiment. ^~^

[Warpath]

Everything I write is golden. Duh.

^

...


...


...okay yes I often have doubts about my writing.

[Flames of Hyperion]

Everything I write is crap. Even when I finally beat something into good enough shape to post here, I'll look at it six months later and projectile vomit.

Once I accept that, it becomes a lot easier to tear things apart while editing, to ask other writers I respect to proofread and critique, and to continually strive for improvement by accepting and incorporating said critique (or tactfully denying it, with well-defined reasons. And even then I'm likely to realise they were correct when I revisit it).

Perfection - the unreachable goal, the ephemeral dream.

[Drumheller]

In a phrase, I'm not.

[Aurelianus Drak'shal]

If it makes people vomit, or claw at their own skin, I've done it right.

[Christoph]

I'm generally happy with my writing on a technical level, though sometimes I wish I could write more freely without nitpicking it. I focus my efforts on improving character and story areas these days.

[Luned]

Since I've started writing professionally, I've come to a point where I understand that "finished and serviceable" is acceptable (as opposed to "nit picked and late" or "dwelled on it and never finished", or even just "got frustrated and never posted"). I don't think my writing is perfect by any means, and I do go back and edit a little sometimes, but Althanas is also a hobby, so I'm generally happy to just move on when I'm confident that a post serves the story well. As long as I can see myself getting better over time, I feel pretty decent about it.

As far as non-Althanas writing, I might go through a few passes of a script with an editor, but ultimately deadlines rule and that's that. I get more stuck in the art stage than anything, which really is just another side of the "creatively conveying information" coin, but even then, finished on time is more important than my insecurities.

One of my favorite feelings is going back and comparing old work to current. I can really spot when I "level up" as a storyteller and seeing that progression is all I need to keep moving forward. (Not that I don't get embarrassed of some of my old work, but overall, that energy is best put into the new!)

[Fez_The_Kid]

I'm usually satisfied with anything that I recently posted; anything before that, and I start to get headaches from just reading the title.

[Storm Veritas]

So many excellent writers beating themselves up! :(

I am always amazed at how terrible a post is every time I write it. Phrase repetition, simple mistakes, etc. After I edit it, I am usually at least satisfied. I think I am pretty decent, and certainly not great. Coincidentally, I feel like I might be pretty close to my ceiling- for better and worse.

I feel like I have one developed style I am content with, but grow bored of. I need to write some different formats in order to force myself to develop.

[Logan]

Storm, vignettes are a really good way to test out different styles, and they don't even take that long to write.

As for the quality of my writing, my answer is really quite simple. I've stopped caring about the quality, and have a greater focus on the content itself. I am a slightly above average writer mechanically, whereas I certainly could use improvement with my technique. If I like what I write, I'm doing something right even if it isn't the prettiest of prose.

[redford]

I've never been that enchanted with what I've written. My characters are flat, my dialogue seems forced and my analogies smilies and metaphors are overused and samey. Every once in a while I like something but those times are few and far between.

[Chelley]

In general pretty happy. I rarely edit posts for anything more than general technical stuff (grammar, punctuation, spelling).

I write purely for the fun of writing with little desire to seriously improve. I'm happy with where I'm at and can usually look back and still be happy with what I wrote.

[Star Strike]

Despite English being my native tongue I'm not that good at speaking or writing cause of speech problems I had growing up (like when I should have been saying words I spoke pure gibberish). I've never been good at grammar or sentence structure but it hurts when I can't fully express my ideas in writing or eloquently enough to impress.

So in general no. I'm not happy with my writing but I doubt I'll ever be. I write the way I write. Sometimes it makes sense, other times not so much. But if I focused on every word to the fullest extent it deserved I would prob just keel over of anxiety.

[Rehtul Orlouge]

I am both my own worst critic and my biggest fan. My biggest weakness is setting, my strongest good point is my characterization. I still remember the days when my strongest area was mechanics of all things, and clarity rarely. I've gone from being able to tell people what I want to say to being able to let them believe that my characters are real... Now if I could only find some way to make the environment feel real without boring myself to tears trying to write it out.

But alas, personal styles are one thing, and mine seems to ignore setting for the most part.

[Sage]

Short answer, no.
I hate my own writing, and I hate having to rewrite something several times over before I think I can live with it.

But I want to get better, and I want to have fun while I get better, I like nothing more than a good story, especially when I don’t know what is going to happen.

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Short answer, no.
I hate my own writing, and I hate having to rewrite something several times over before I think I can live with it.

But I want to get better, and I want to have fun while I get better, I like nothing more than a good story, especially when I don’t know what is going to happen.

Good evening, Kai. Long time no see.

[Lye]

I typically view my writing as sub-par. Typically right around that 50 - 55 scored. In some situations, I am surprised by higher scores and have earned a few JC awards in my older days. Often, I struggle to produce material and over analyze what I write. This causes my posts to consume large amounts of my time, and is hindered by my terrible typing speed. I struggle to create depth in my characters and see them as hollow or devoid of identity. I have been told they are not relatable or fall into overdone cliches.

I am not an avid reader and that can be a reason as to why my writing suffers. Its not uncommon for me to become intimidated or off put by a superior writer. However, it is important to note that I become highly competitive and enjoy a good rivalry with my superiors.