Anyone else find their old stuff and was surprised?

[ColtonWrites]

I had completely forgotten I apparently had an account here a decade ago. A story popped up as similar to one of mine, and as soon as I started reading it I realized I wrote it!
And it's not bad.
I wonder if there's a way to connect it to my current account - it's unfinished and it might be worth doing more with.
https://www.literotica.com/series/se/4290661

 

[StillStunned]

I often reread my stories, and quite often it strikes me that I'd be happy enough if it was a book I'd bought and paid for. But then again, I write what I want to read, so it's not really surprising that I enjoy reading what I write.

 

[Bramblethorn]

IIRC Laurel has merged accounts in the past. If you can show that you own both, messaging Laurel about it might be the way to go.

 

[redgarters]

I found mine a few months ago. Only one story, and it was just as bad as I remembered

 

[ElectricBlue]

I had completely forgotten I apparently had an account here a decade ago. A story popped up as similar to one of mine, and as soon as I started reading it I realized I wrote it!
And it's not bad.

I occasionally read something I write several years ago and think, "Yes, that's an EB style story, right there." Many of my signatures, literary tics and tropes arrived quite early, as my style not so much evolved, more consolidated.

I wonder if there's a way to connect it to my current account - it's unfinished and it might be worth doing more with.
https://www.literotica.com/series/se/4290661

As mentioned, if you can show evidence that both accounts are yours, it's worth asking Laurel that they be combined.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Anyone else find their old stuff and was surprised?​

I’ve not had your hiatus, and when I’ve read my earlier stories, I’ve generally been pleasantly surprised that they don’t entirely stink. In my mind, anything I wrote over six months ago must be garbage. But reality is more nuanced.

 

[RoyalAuthor]

I'm writing a series, and without taking a hiatus, I occasionally reread the series to make sure I'm not forgetting anything pertinent and to keep my character development on track. Every time I read the first entry (a little over a year old), I wish I could rewrite it. It's not awful, I still think it holds up to some degree, but it just feels stiff, and while people liked it, I can see how I'd write it differently now every time.

The thing is, I don't know if anyone else has any issue with it - it just doesn't feel like my current writing anymore, and it's painfully obvious to me.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Sometimes I read my old stories, and sometimes it's 'WOW, I wrote that.' Other times, it's 'WOW, that's total crap.'

 

[TheWritingGroup]

's funny. I tend to think my stuff here is ... sort of OK. You (or at least, I) can tell I'm trying hard, and that probably should be less obvious. I'm not embarrassed by my first ("Coffee with Blushes") and while I can tell my latest (Pranked: Barbie) is more polished, I don't see it as different in kind.

--Annie

 

[Rob_Royale]

I wonder if there's a way to connect it to my current account - it's unfinished and it might be worth doing more with.
https://www.literotica.com/series/se/4290661

You could just add a link to the other account on your profile for this account.

 

[caleb35]

I found mine a few months ago. Only one story, and it was just as bad as I remembered

I tend not to re-read my old stuff; I prefer not to know how bad it is.

 

[Djmac1031]

Generally I think my stories are pretty good, otherwise I wouldn't post them.

But sure, there's a few that, looking back on them, make my teeth grind...

 

[DEFCOM5]

I tend not to re-read my old stuff; I prefer not to know how bad it is.

This.

 

[DEFCOM5]

Generally I think my stories are pretty good, otherwise I wouldn't post them.

I thought my stories were good until i reread them and compare to the stuff and other great writers here have posted

Then I realize that good was a very generous evaluation!

 

[Djmac1031]

Then I realize that good was a very generous evaluation!

Hey you've done more than most and actually wrote something.

If you enjoyed writing it and put your best honest effort into it, then take some satisfaction from that even as you recognize you still have room to grow and learn.

In other words: don't beat yourself up too much.

 

[DEFCOM5]

In other words: don't beat yourself up too much.

But this is my favorite sport!

 

[ColtonWrites]

In other words: don't beat yourself up too much.

Personally I'd rather let someone else do the beating.

 

[AG31]

I invariably enjoy my old stuff, but I read it rarely. I think the main reason is that I have to go through the process of mailing it to my Kindle and giving it a misleading name and then reading it quickly so I can delete it.

I think I invariably enjoy them, because they were based on fantasies, and sort of, by definition, have satisfying plots.

Whatever. I am looking forward to a months' long process of revisiting my eleven stories with the intention of updating their tags and inviting people to fine tune the language if they're interested. Stay tuned.

As for the OP's surprise factor, I have been surprised at the high quality of the language in some places. I frequently didn't recognize it as my own, and don't think that I could come up with it again today, now that I've emerged from the erotic fog of a few years ago.

 

[StillStunned]

Sometimes I'll come across a forum post of mine from a year* ago, and think, "I have no recollection of this."

*Also: six months, three months, one month, two days, half an hour.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Yes, but my feelings are usually mixed. Sometimes I think it's good, sometimes I think is crap, and my current relationship with my stories published is that they are very rough. Not feeling like deleting them or editing them though. I actually don't feel rejection about them. Like I said, they are very rough, meaning that I look at them with the lense of how could I polish them better, or how could I repurpose them. See, the problem with my stories before and my stories now is that my writer self shifted.

I often reread my stories, and quite often it strikes me that I'd be happy enough if it was a book I'd bought and paid for. But then again, I write what I want to read, so it's not really surprising that I enjoy reading what I write.

Oh, for crying out loud, how come you didn't say you were @StillStunned about it?

Sometimes I'll come across a forum post of mine from a year* ago, and think, "I have no recollection of this."

*Also: six months, three months, one month, two days, half an hour.

Or you could say that you're @StillStunned to have no recollection of this.

 

[MillieDynamite]

Alzheimer much?

Sometimes I'll come across a forum post of mine from a year* ago, and think, "I have no recollection of this."

*Also: six months, three months, one month, two days, half an hour.