Love Your Own Work?

[Philip Overby]

I believe I was initially attracted to Mythic Scribes not just because it was a writing site (I'd been to several before) but because it was a fantasy writing site. One thing I thought for a long time is that there weren't enough places for fantasy writers to discuss their craft and such. There were loads of opportunities to discuss other people's work, whether it be novels, TV, movies, short stories, etc. To talk about how much you love this writer or that writer. How you love a certain TV show.

I've loved the genre for a long time and the majority of the books I read are fantasy. I have been reading more outside the genre as of late to help balance myself better. But one question I've been asking myself lately is "Do I love what I'm writing?"

I think I'm getting closer and closer to the answer being "Yes." I wonder how other people feel about themselves. Are you loving what you write? Do you feel pride in it? If not, what do you think is holding you back? Is it doubt in your skills, your ideas, or your execution?

I just wonder because I'm feeling as comfortable in my writing skin as I have in my whole life. I hope that somehow gives me the confidence to shake off any bad reviews I will ultimately get and stand behind my work.

What say you? Do you love what you're writing?

 

[CupofJoe]

Do you love what you're writing?

Yes! Yes and thrice yes! [okay that is a bit over eager]
Yes I love what I write - why would I do this if I didn't... Writing [for me] is a beautiful and infuriating mix of easy and impossible.
But the funny thing is that somehow what I actually get on to "paper" isn't exactly what I mean to write.
It's so close that I know I will get it right next time...

 

[FarmerBrown]

From the first moment I realized (age 12-ish?) that taking things out of my mind and putting them on paper was some kind of magic, I've loved it. To answer your question, I usually love the end product, too, because at this point in my life I'm writing for me so if I don't love it*...I don't write it. (*This doesn't necessarily include the exercises to expand my horizons/get me out of my comfort zone etc.)

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

When I first started, I loved everything I wrote. Then I learned more about craft and started to develop a style of my own. The more I learned and practiced, the more I disliked what I previously wrote. In hindsight, it was dreadfully awful.

Now, I have a mix of emotion concerning my writing. I'm always proud of a "finished" product, but by the time I finish one piece, I feel as if I've grown as a writer to the point that I look at that recent work and think, "I can do better." Never fails.

This is the case even with shorter pieces I've written in the last six months. It's certainly true for novel-length works that have taken more than a year. I don't think that will ever change.

So, in that regard, I'm proud of the accomplishment but never fully pleased or content. However, I've come to view this as a positive, a constant desire to improve which will get me where I desire to be in a field where success (on my terms) is a rarity.

 

[Russ]

I am not sure that I yet love my work overall but I sure can get infatuated with some bits I produce.

And I am sure I love working on my fiction.

 

[Devor]

I love what I write.

Well. For sure I love the ideas behind the things I write. I love the characters and their stories and the events, otherwise I wouldn't start writing.

With the actual prose it's a love-hate relationship, especially when it gets into the editing. I know there's a lot to love in my prose, but it's easy to lose sight of that when you're rereading it forever, nitpicking words, hunting for and trying to fix problems. I find that my best prose is written in passes, each focusing on different things, so it ends up being a process that can sometimes be disheartening.

 

[X Equestris]

If I didn't love doing this, I wouldn't do it.

 

[skip.knox]

Some here have heard this from me before. Writing is burdensome for me. It's hard work. If I truly loved it (I envy the rest of you), I wouldn't leap so readily at any distraction. For each writing session, I have to make myself work. At the same time, if I stop writing for a while, my brain begins to itch, and writing is the only way to scratch it. (I swiped that vivid image from another writer)

But that's not quite what Phil asked. He asked do I love what I write. Once the painful work is done, do I love what was produced?

Not really. Like T. Allen Smith, I'm too aware of the shortcomings. I believe, though, I'm fairly objective. I also see the parts I did well, and I still like them even after the work is completed. But I don't think any author can really love their own work in the same way we fall in love with the work of another. That's real love, blind to the faults, surprised and a little offended when someone else points out those faults. I don't think I'll ever be able to regard my own work that way. In that, I'm more like a parent than a lover.

There's another aspect to this, though. This is a bit of a confessional. In an odd way, I am indeed infatuated with my own work. I know this because when I read other fantasy works--the closer to my WiP, the truer this is--I like them much less than I used to. I keep thinking, I'm doing this better. My world is richer. My magic is cleverer. My monsters are scarier. My dialog is snappier. My jokes are funnier. I can read outside my genre just fine, but I appear to be too tightly wound when it comes to fantasy. I haven't read a work in that genre that I've enjoyed in several years. Weird.

Great question, M. Overby!

 

[Caged Maiden]

What a great question, one I've been pondering mightily as of late.

Last week I didn't love my work. In fact, I nearly dubbed it a colossal waste of my time. I felt so far behind the line of where I wanted to be, I was ready to throw in the towel and quit the race. However, I then read again (something I haven't done in too long) and I realized the things I'm not happy with in my novel are not terminal issues. They can be fixed, cut out, or otherwise made healthy. Over-editing is a disease, people. A disease which I suffer. I stripped out descriptions in my novel because they felt erroneous, and I injured my story by making it anorexic in places.

What I love are the scenes that flow exactly as I'd like and accomplish my goals thoroughly. The things I dislike are the little nagging things that don't feel quite perfect--quick flow when I want a bit more drama, a bit of insight that didn't have enough punch to really affect the reader, or a scene disclosing necessary information that got stripped to its skeleton because otherwise it was "too long".

I love that my first really good book is almost finished. I hate that next year I'll read it and feel ashamed it isn't better.

 

[SD Stevens]

I love the stuff I write. Even the stuff I wrote years ago, its badly written and the spelling was and sometimes still is atrocious. The story lines and ideas however, I still love. Maybe I'm too new to all this. I may have been writing for years but I'v only just had something published (via smashwords). Its all very exciting for me. Finding an outlet for all the stuff in my head still makes me happy. I have those moments, when reading back what I'v written, 'That is awesome, did I write that?"

 

[Ruby]

Hi Philip,

This is an interesting question. Yes, I do love what I write. I'm trying to write the book(s) I want to read. My stuff is comedic and it makes me laugh. The trouble is I keep leaving projects and starting new ones. When I reread a WIP I think, " This is really good, I wonder what happens next? Oh, I almost forgot, I have to write it!"

On a serious note, I find it weird that I'm walking around thinking about the lives and problems of imaginary characters. Is this the first sign of madness?

Perhaps all writers are slightly mad?

 

[Penpilot]

I love-hate what I write. When I first start in on a project, I just love it, then a problem with it comes up. At that point, I begin to hate it. Once I have that problem fixed, I start to love my project again. But then I start in on the heavy editing, and I hate it again. I really-really-really hate it.

After I've finished editing and kicked the project to the curve, I may start to love it again after a while away from it.

I take pride in having finished the project, but I'm always cautiously optimistic about the quality. I know I can tell a story. I know I can finish a story. How well I can tell that story, well, I like to keep my feet on the ground when dealing with that. I think it's better for me as a writer to underestimate myself a little than over, because it keeps me motivated to improve.

Too many times I've felt like I've written something really awesome only to come back at a later time and realize just how not awesome it is. Generally I just try to keep an even keel. Nothing is ever as good as you think it is and nothing is ever as bad.

I just keep putting down one word after the next, knowing I will get better, and knowing with work, I can make any draft better than it was.

 

[Guy]

Yes. I'm never totally satisfied with it, there's always room for improvement, but overall I'm happy with it and I enjoy creating it; obsessively polishing each tiny detail, going back and trimming the fat, seeing myself progress. Nothing, absolutely nothing, gives me the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction as finally finishing writing I've been busting my ass over forever, whether fiction or nonfiction. The sense of pride and achievement I felt when I held a bound copy of my thesis was the same as when I published my first novel. My first positive review was euphoria. I couldn't walk away from this if I tried.

 

[buyjupiter]

I love my ideas. I love my characters (at least most of the time). I love my dialogue, my world building.

However, I don't love my execution. My descriptive sense sucks a lot of the time (especially in first drafts--I'm always having to go back in to add more detail and actually, you know, show things). My pacing blows in first draft. I spend entirely too much time pantsing things because they're interesting to me and not enough time keeping things on track.

I know where things go wobbly, but I don't always know how to fix them (or if they're even repairable, because sometimes I don't notice for quite a long time). And this is where I'm constantly learning new tricks of the trade and things to try next time so my level of execution is closer to the ideal I have in my head.

Once I get over my execution flaws, I think I will start loving what I write again. But for now, if I have an interesting idea and a great character I'll call that good enough.

Also, I think I'm more a process-lover than a product-lover (this is definitely true in my hobbies), so as long as the process is enjoyable I'll keep loving writing.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I love what I write because I love the characters. Their personalities, interactions and growth make me want to add more story.

 

[Clinton Seeber]

Epic fantasy is all I want to write, and I feel that I am a competent writer. I am very comfortable writing it, but I tend to get tired of reading my own stuff when I am editing it, because I read it over and over and over...

 

[Joy]

I could be critical at one point or another to some elements either in style or in the world, story, characters but truth is i love it. It is my creation that develops by everyday and even though it's not whole on pages it is alive in my head and constantly... changes. I would love to be part of it, that's how much affection i feel towards my work.

 

[Chessie]

Yes, I'm finally at the place in my craft where I love what I'm writing. For the longest time (and others can relate) my skills were so shabby that the story didn't come through very well. Communication flawed. Years later, the work has paid off and I understand how to use words to craft my stories. And although my stories still need a lot of editing and they aren't perfectly crafted, they make much more sense now.

I've accepted that my stories will probably always be gritty and dark somehow, but I do love what I write. The world, the characters, the twisted storylines--its who I am as an artist. One thing I do love about Mythic Scribes though is that its given me the chance to connect with other fantasy writers who have very different projects than I do. I enjoy reading their works too.

And about reading stuff I wrote even a year ago, its crazy seeing how my writing has changed. Most of the time I cringe and wonder what I was thinking. Then there's other stories of mine that were decent. It goes to show that we get better with practice so I better get to writing.