• Read this: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?288931-Guidelines-for-Participation-in-Outwitting-Writer-s-Block

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I hate everything I write

msuss

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Yes, keep at it! For most of us it's a long-term prospect. It has taken me two decades of writing fiction to get to the point where I'm truly happy with my stories.
 

AKWW93

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"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." -Terry Pratchett

Don't worry about how the writing looks the first time around. Like others have said, it all comes through in the editing!
 

CL_Hilbert

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"It doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to be done." -- the mantra that got me through college.

You can polish a turd but you need to make a turd to polish first. I find the best way to beat perfectionism is to be bad on purpose in the first draft. My first (and sometimes second and third) drafts are always kind of stream of consciousness ramblings of how I imagine the story should go.

It's easy to get bogged down hunting for the perfect wording when you're writing from A to B. I find it easier to let go of that when the first draft is "and then she's like, "okay, asshole. Come at me," or something idk".

Artistry is for second and third drafts. First drafts are for building bones from scratch.
 

Zoey141

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The good thing is that you're still writing. If you don't do that, you're giving up. If you don't write, then you'll never be able to get through. So even if you think what you're writing is not your best work, keep writing.
 

Cernex

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I will echo what everyone else has said in this thread and say that yes, you should definitely keep going. You can't improve unless you keep writing, and I mean, some goals are archived and some are not. That doesn't mean its the end of everything. That just means you need to get a new goal, heh.

Random thought: would be very hard to spot what you don't like writing if you didn't write it first, wouldn't it? :p
 

Titus

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Write it. Let yourself write bad things. Note why it feels bad. Move on. Then edit later. You can always edit bad stuff.
 

Bufty

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Writing is by its nature a solitary pursuit and some of us may just not be suited to such a solitary pursuit. Just a thought. Giving up, or taking an extended break from whatever it is that causes one undue concern and constantly repeated hastle is not failure - it's sensible and practical recognition of the fact that perhaps a break or change or broadening of interests is due.

Write or don't write, as you choose, but accept that writing isn't the be all and end all of life.:Hug2:
 
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CalRazor

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Just keep writing, and try not to focus on the self-deprecation too much. Even published writers get rejected, just look at Chuck Palahniuk and that infamous Salon review.
 

RookieWriter

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Should I continue writing anyway? That's what I plan on doing.

If that is what you want to do, then yes. Absolutely keep writing.

Many writers, myself included, get frustrated and don't like our writing or think it is any good. Especially during a first draft.
 

brightspark

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Thank you guys for all your kind comments. They've helped me a lot. I wrote a little bit today and it started to feel like it's coming easier. I still have twinges of doubt but they don't feel as bad anymore.

Everyone gets twinges of doubt... I actually came to this subforum because I was experiencing a massive wave of doubt. I'm glad you feel a little better!
 

Spicyqueso

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We are all usually our worst critics. You should completely keep going and don't worry about it being 100% perfect as soon as you write it. Write out what you see in your head and later on you can go back and edit. When I re-read what I've written, I am usually slightly horrified by how sloppy or goofy some parts seem but then I work on it and I end up being happy with the results. Just finish what you have in your mind and don't worry about everything being perfect.
 

Charke

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I've written for a long time and perhaps the most valuable thing I've learned is not to hate my work. That said, I do. I'll read stuff and wonder what I was thinking and then I edit it. There is always good stuff in your work and you've just got to bash it out and then go back and start fixing. The difference between a bad writer and a good one is the amount of time they spend going back and fixing their work. When you do that a few hundred times, you do get better and some of the editing will decrease. It's a long hard process and sometimes you have to fight with yourself, but if you can win, it's worth it.

- Mark Charke