Does your opinion of your writing change? One day it's good, then next day it's bad.

DannySherbet · Nov 14, 2009

Is there anyone who can empathise with me, or offer any thoughts?

When I read something I've written my opinion of my work can best be described as bipolar.

Fifty per cent of the time I am proud of my writing, and think it's as good as most published works.

The rest of the time I read my writing and feel that it's average. I can do nothing but find fault. I feel that it reads like something scribbled by an angst-ridden teenager in his bedroom; I get an irksome feeling that my writing's not quite good enough.

I am talking about re-reading the same scene or paragraph. I may read it one day and think it's great, and then I'll read the same scene a day or two later and think it's not very good. And I may even read the same scene another few more days later and think it's fine.

Is this a common feeling for writers?

Caitlin Black · Nov 14, 2009

I think it's fairly common, but you'd have to wait for more votes to come in.

I usually write something and then immediately think it's either good or bad, and then my opinion of it will change later.

Usually, I'm more assessing my overall effect, which goes from good to bad in the matter of moments sometimes.

TheIT · Nov 14, 2009

For me it is. I regularly fall into and out of love with whatever I'm writing. I've learned to recognize when not to try to reread. If I'm feeling completely out of touch with the words, it's better if I let go and do something else for a while, then come back when I'm feeling better.

Maxinquaye · Nov 14, 2009

/me hands DannySherbet a whiskey.

You're a writer too, huh?

I think we all suffer from that. Half the time i think my writing should be moved into the bathroom - because at least i will be able to save a few pennies on toilet paper. The other half I'm all warm inside.

And it's the same with non-fiction, and there's I'm much more "successful" than with fiction. So, I guess that feeling never goes away. One just get more experience in recognising ones' own offal...

Wayne K · Nov 14, 2009

The worst is when I think it's bad and good at the same time. Then I don't know what to do.

Mr Flibble · Nov 14, 2009

All. The. Time.

Wayne K said:
The worst is when I think it's bad and good at the same time. Then I don't know what to do.

More scotch is the answer.

backslashbaby · Nov 14, 2009

Oh, my. I can read mine and swear it's dreck but remember that I really liked it about 3/4 of the time. I'm chicken and just have someone else read it if it keeps coming back to bad too often. Usually it's just a few words, or a boring paragraph thrown in... not a big deal. Sometimes it's a definite thumbs up. Did I say that I love my betas (alphas?)

Nonfiction academic stuff doesn't bother me in the least anymore. I've done that so long with so many marks and opinions that it's second nature. Hopefully within 5-10 years fiction will feel the same way. Until then, I plan on a ton of revision

Wayne K · Nov 14, 2009

IdiotsRUs said:
All. The. Time.

More scotch is the answer.

I just woke up.

I think beer would be more appropriate for breakfast.

Maxinquaye · Nov 14, 2009

Wayne K said:
I think beer would be more appropriate for breakfast.

Beer, whiskey. In the end it's all the same. It's liquid grain.

kaitie · Nov 14, 2009

Oh yeah, definitely do this. With my current WIP, I've found that typically my concerns are more abstract. When I'm not reading it I worry that it's not any good and that the story sucks and that people would just laugh me out of the room. Then when I start editing, I typically end up feeling more confident about it again because I feel like most if it's pretty good.

Sometimes I just get insecure in general, and like someone said before those are times I just need to not reread things. I'll get so caught up in worrying that it's not any good than every small error I find has me convinced I'm a horrible writer. I haven't really been that bad for awhile, though, but some of my previous stories I've definitely been that way about. I'm also much more confident now than I used to be in general, though.

So yeah, now pretty much I try not to let it get to me if a part seems not as well done as the rest because that's what editing is for. That's the beautiful thing about writing, right? It can always be improved. Obviously I sometimes fail at this if you've been reading any of the other threads haha. *whistles innocently*

Maxinquaye · Nov 14, 2009

I actually liked your scene in SYW. It was snappy and the tension was building well. You're a good writer. You get it

I'll dredge up the nerve to post the first chapter in SYW of my WIP, when I've polished it more. And when it doesn't seem to be such execreable crap.

Fredster · Nov 14, 2009

I find that my opinion of my words is directly related to how long it took me to get them on paper (well, screen, but you know). Some scenes are nightmarish to write, and I don't know why. I know what I need to happen, but can't decide which elements of the environment to show, what people need to say, and what exactly they need to do.

Those usually seem really amateur when I go back and look them over.

The scenes that just pour out, where my fingers can't keep up with my head, those almost only ever need the slightest bit of tweaking to be perfect. I find that action scenes go quickest for me, probably because of the short choppy sentences and minimal description.

Back to those bad ones --- the one upside is that usually re-reading them a couple of times will stimulate some thoughts, making it a little easier to craft a scene I'm fairly happy with.

Sevvy · Nov 14, 2009

I can think my writing sucks a second later, never mind a day or two. The longer you do it though, the better you get at just finishing the damn story and forgetting what the inner critic is telling you.

edwilson · Nov 14, 2009

Sounds pretty normal to me Danny.

I do it all the time and as witnessed by the other posters in this topic. You aren't alone. I don't know if my writing is good. I'm really new at this. So, I definitely get insecure about it.

AllieKat · Nov 14, 2009

Oh yeah....

And, with the passage of time, this doesn't always clear up. I can still read over something I thought was terrible and think, "Yay!" years later, or vice versa. Whatever the opposite of "yay!" is.

scarletpeaches · Nov 14, 2009

My writing improves over time. That is, I can think something is wank and read it again a few days later and think, "You know what? This is actually pretty damn good."

I need distance to be able to form an opinion on what I write. Then I shave away all the bad bits and hopefully just leave the good in.

ladyinpink · Nov 14, 2009

when i first started writing, I thought my writing was good.
when I learned more about writing, and I got better.
Now, I never think my writing is good enough. LOL. but thankfully, the same people who weren't afraid to tell me when it sucked are still around to tell me that I'm worrying over nothing now. I still have a lot to learn, but my writing is strong now. I'm getting into the realm of final edits soon, and I am confident in my writing and story.

Shadow_Ferret · Nov 14, 2009

My opinion changes, yes.

When I first send out submissions, I think my writing is fantastic.

When I get that rejection, I think my writing sucks.

Its a horrible roller coaster and one I'm getting motion sickness from.

scarletpeaches · Nov 14, 2009

So quit.

thethinker42 · Nov 14, 2009

I go back and forth. Most of the time, I'm pretty confident with my writing. It's what I was born to do, and I've finally reached a level where I feel like I'm "there". Not in the "I can stop improving now" sense (never!), just in the sense that - as SP often puts it - the apprenticeship is over.

That's not to say I don't have down days. There are some days when I feel like everything I write and have written is utter drivel, but I make myself meet my goals anyway, because deep down I know that the next day, I'll see that it's not so bad. That, and SP will usually be along soon to put a boot in my ass and make me stop wangsting.

kaitie · Nov 14, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
My opinion changes, yes.

When I first send out submissions, I think my writing is fantastic.

When I get that rejection, I think my writing sucks.

Its a horrible roller coaster and one I'm getting motion sickness from.

I think most people go through this. I know the recommendation is always "write a new book," but really, it is a great recommendation. It gives you something to take your mind off things. If you get a rejection with advice, then listen to the advice and see if you can learn from it, but you just have to find something to do to keep yourself occupied and maybe allow yourself a day or two every so often to be a little overwhelmed, and then move on.

That's the thing about writing. We're always improving. Even if your current work isn't accepted, that doesn't mean automatically that you suck, and even if no one ever picks it up that doesn't make it a waste of time. The process and the writing has improved you, and it's giving you a better chance for next time.

Besides, you hopefully enjoyed doing it, didn't you?

So just try not to let it get you too down.

ChaosTitan · Nov 14, 2009

The ups and downs don't affect everyone, but it is pretty common. Heck, I know some writers published several times over who still have love/hate relationships with their writing. Writers are a temperamental lot.

Freelancer · Nov 14, 2009

Does your opinion of your writing change? One day it's good, then next day it's bad.

I believe this is pretty common. I know many scenes or even whole scripts that I considered damned good when I finished at late night, then after a brief sleep and a quick read I deleted everything (Once I deleted a whole episode of a series' screenplay, 54 pages because of this.). And the next version is used to be quite better, then the terminated one.

scarletpeaches · Nov 14, 2009

ChaosTitan said:
The ups and downs don't affect everyone, but it is pretty common. Heck, I know some writers published several times over who still have love/hate relationships with their writing. Writers are a temperamental lot.

Thank you for saying this.

I've been told on a number of occasions, "Oh well, it's all right for you; you're super-confident," when actually I'm not. When it comes to my looks, for instance, I'm a bag of nerves. But writing? I can see my faults - so I work to improve them. I also see the parts where you know what? I'm actually pretty damn good. And I see no reason to hold back from acknowledging what I did right.

As tt42 mentioned, that doesn't mean I've stopped improving. God, no. I never want to rest on my laurels. But if this wasn't the work I was born to do, if the pain of rejection was worse than the joy of acceptance, I'd quit. I see no point in torturing oneself if you truly believe your writing is crap. Find something else that brings you joy.

For me, even the worst day writing is better than the best day doing anything else. The quality of what I write goes up and down, but my standards never do, so I fix it on the edits. And I improve. And I move on to the next book.

And every step of the process is a joy. Even the 'hard work'. Easy? Not always. Simple? Definitely.

thethinker42 · Nov 14, 2009

Totally in agreement with SP and ChaosTitan.

Does your opinion of your writing change? One day it's good, then next day it's bad.

Wellversed in procrastination.

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