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Anyone else here just really like to read their own stuff?

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Adversary

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Does anyone else here just really like to read their own stuff? By that i mean, i'm not completely in love with my own writing (my 'voice' as it were), but i am liking it more and more. I mean the story... i love my stories (well, most of them). They say write what you want to read? Well, i do. But then i end up reading it... a lot. Obviously when i'm reading it i wont pass a spelling mistake or a bad sentence without fixing it, but i really dont count this as editing.

Anyone else do this? Is it a bad habit for a writer to have?
 

Bufty

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It's only a bad habit if you fall in love with your own prose and can't see if or how it could be improved.

Apart from, say, contractual stuff perhaps required to bring in the bread and butter, if you didn't like what you were writing, why would you be writing it?
 

insolentlad

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When I'm actually writing, I go back and read a lot. It keeps me immersed in the story and helps me come up with new ideas. Finished work? I reread my published novels occasionally and generally like what I read.
 

Lolly12

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I read it over a lot when writing. I do enjoy parts of it, but of course other bits make me cringe. The sharper and more properly edited and proofed it gets, the less the cringing comes in.
 

maggiee19

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I like reading my own stuff, too. What I love is when betas read it and give me positive feedback.
 

EvilPenguin

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I read it over a lot when writing. I do enjoy parts of it, but of course other bits make me cringe. The sharper and more properly edited and proofed it gets, the less the cringing comes in.

This. I enjoy some parts, which encourage me to keep writing, while other parts make me cringe, which tend to discourage me from writing. But I also know that if I keep working on it, it'll get better and better and the cringey parts will fade away.
 

oldhousejunkie

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I love reading what I have written. If I don't love it, then I shouldn't be writing it. Re-reading inspires to keep writing...though sometimes I enjoy reading so much that I don't spend the time that I need on writing new material. I think it's a balance.

I think it's good to go back and re-read from an editing standpoint as well. Our voices are always evolving. I don't write fiction on a regular basis anymore as I'm in grad school and writing material for a podcast, but whenever I get the urge, I pick up a half finished novel, read what I have written, tweak it, and then often write new material. Actually I might go do that right now... :)
 

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*Naked in front of the mirror, in wig, holding printed out manuscript* "You'd read this, wouldn't you? I bet you would. I'd read it. Yeah, I'd read it so hard, I would."
 

Lolly12

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This. I enjoy some parts, which encourage me to keep writing, while other parts make me cringe, which tend to discourage me from writing. But I also know that if I keep working on it, it'll get better and better and the cringey parts will fade away.

Yes, you just have to keep at it and at least with the cringey bits, you know what to work on. It's not always so clear cut unfortunately.
 

edutton

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That's part of why I enjoy editing, I think - I like getting to spend more time with the characters I've grown so attached to!
 

neandermagnon

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I like reading my own writing. I've always seen that as a bonus because of all the editing etc that's necessary. It's not always a barrier to being able to edit your own stuff as well. The point at which I stop liking something is the point where I know it needs heavy editing. Getting other people's opinions is vital for spotting the flaws you miss, whether you like reading your own writing or not.
 

Blinkk

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I enjoy creating. That's my favorite part of the process. There are some scenes I really enjoy that I will go back and read over but I don't find myself wanting to read my own work. Not the same way I'm craving to read the next chapter in the book at the side of my bed.

I do love my plots, though. I never went to college or anything, so I know I have extra work to do when it comes to the nuts and bolts, but I really feel that my plots are strong and solid. I just enjoy creating. That's really my favorite part.
 

Coddiwomple

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Count me in — I love to read my own writing. I'm new enough at this that I see a difference in my writing from just a few months ago (could it be... a change for the better since joining this board? Surely not!;)). So there's a fair amount of cringing at times, but mostly it's a pleasure. I like my characters and I enjoy revisiting scenes. Plus I find editing soothing.

I kind of wonder if I'll get to point where the cringing stops? Right now, I feel like every few months I need to rewrite to newer, higher standards. All the while wondering if I'm going to think the new stuff is crap in another six months.

But I still love reading it. Crap or no, it's mine and I like it. :)
 

AstronautMikeDexter

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I echo what others are saying - yes, I really enjoy reading my stuff. I've read my current WIP dozens and dozens of times. A lot of it is reading and re-reading to edit it but sometimes I like to just immerse myself in that world. I've certainly improved the manuscript through editing but I do believe there's more to do, which (lucky me) means I get to read it again.
 

Lolly12

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Does anyone think that there is such a thing as loving your own work too much? You might not see clearly what doesn't really work for a wider audience. Is that a danger? I guess that is the job of your content edit/proof readers to make sure that you know which bits don't work.
 

MontyBurr

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This conversation hits home with me.

I enjoy reading my own stuff, even though I’m chopping through it with a cleaver at the moment.

My work is romantic suspense with a toe in the erotic and a shin into barbecue.

After about 30 pages I’m either hungry or annoying the goode wyffe.
 

Vida Paradox

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Hello, Vida Here!

Reading my own story? Well, how can I not like it? I mean, seriously. That is the single most important thing you gotta do before thinking about publishing it out in the open. Just reading your work, commenting on it in the eyes of the reader, imagining yourself standing inside a bookstore and reading the summary of a story. You have to be proud of what you make, you have to be aware of your story's strength and weakness.

Then, when you read them all from the beginning to the end, why not put notes on the parts that make you cringe or the parts where you just want to skip? That's probably the one you need take care of.

So, is it wrong to like reading your own story? Of course not, as long as you don't force yourself to like it. As long as you don't skim through it and just read the good parts while ignoring the trouble spots. If you've done everything to make it awesome and you feel that you can say that you are proud of what you're making...

Well, time to see what other people think...

And As Always, Thanks for Reading!
 
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Adversary

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Heh... okay okay... perhaps that was a stupid question on a writing forum...

I asked because it just seems my go-to for when i dont feel like working (heh... like now). Not writing, not reading books, not learning about the craft... but reading my own stuff. Yeah, i like the characters, i like the setting, i like some of the stuff they get into, and well... my stuff is dark. Bad shit happens and i squeeze every god damn cell of emotion from the poor bastards. I'll 'feel' my own work. I just dont seem to get that from others' stuff. Not anything so far anyways. Even my list of movies for that level of drama is short. I'm guessing i'm running a pretty serious risk of falling too much in love and going blind to the faults. I try and keep ahead of that, but i'm new...

I dont seem to cringe like you people though. My bad stuff is still fairly readable, to me anyways. Anything cringeworthy doesn't get past initial writing stage, it gets canned. Maybe as i learn to 'get it all down' in a rough first draft i'll cringe more when i re-read, but so far, its not happened. Again, not sure if thats a good thing or not.
 

Chris P

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Does anyone think that there is such a thing as loving your own work too much? You might not see clearly what doesn't really work for a wider audience. Is that a danger? I guess that is the job of your content edit/proof readers to make sure that you know which bits don't work.

My derivative, trite, faux-intellectualism and nifty tricks are different than everyone else's and therefore better. And huh, another form rejection? Why? I see how every word in the manuscript is absolutely essential in building the story, what's wrong with these agents and editors that they don't? No, I won't change anything. Open your minds and see what I'm doing here, people. This fifteen page detour is essential because it shows how . . .

So, yeah. I can love my own words too much.
 

Coddiwomple

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I'll 'feel' my own work. I just dont seem to get that from others' stuff. Not anything so far anyways.

My bad stuff is still fairly readable, to me anyways.


I hear you, Adversary.

This really gets to the main issue, for me anyway. Yes, I love reading my work, because I know what’s going on in my characters' heads and hearts. My mind can fill in the rough spots where a reader would miss something important. That’s good for my experience when I reread my writing, but it’s not helpful if I want someone else to enjoy it, too!

I’m at the place in my work where I'm almost ready for betas. My critique partner is halfway through my WIP, and it’s a revelation. She'll comment on a scene, and suddenly I can see where a character's emotions — that are perfectly obvious to me — don’t come across. It’s like the scales have fallen off my eyes. Then I'll rewrite and it’s so much better.

So as much as I enjoy reading my own work, I know that the same experience is not necessarily going to happen for a reader. That, to me, is the essential challenge that fascinates me about writing. How do I build a bridge of words across that gap?
 

porlock

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I do like reading my own work, and sometimes certain passages almost bring a tear to my eye, until it gets rejected several times and I'm brought back to earth. Doctor, heal thyself. "You have too many cliches" What cliches? It is to laugh. So I gird my loins and go back to work. I've got forty year old failures, people. It must hurt so good.(grin)
 

CathleenT

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Hey, Adversary,

Yes, I love reading my own stuff, but only if a decent interval has passed since I've published it. Be glad that you enjoy reading your words because it's a critical advantage to like your own work while you're pubbing. You have to read it and tweak it and reread it and then read it some more until you can't wring any more sense out of it, so then you put Word on audio and listen to it instead. I've backed away from story ideas because I didn't think I'd love them enough to go through them all the times I'd need to.
 

Lolly12

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So as much as I enjoy reading my own work, I know that the same experience is not necessarily going to happen for a reader. That, to me, is the essential challenge that fascinates me about writing. How do I build a bridge of words across that gap?

Yes, not to underwrite, not to overwrite - it's such a balancing act all the time to work out whether what is in your head is on the page enough.
 

cool pop

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Yes, I enjoy my writing but these days don't get the chance to just go back and read from my back list. Always so busy writing.
 
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