Poll: Vanity reads

[NoJo]

When a story of mine gets a positive comment or favourited, I end up re-reading it myself, to see if I still appreciate it. with a few exceptions, I end up saying to myself "well, that was nice".

For some reason I always expect my stories to make me cringe when I re-read them, like awful photos of me as a teenager. But even the bad ones aren't as terrible as I remember.

Do you re-read your old stories? How do you feel about them?

 

[NOIRTRASH]

My stuff are models of whatever I wanted to do. When I was a sheet metal apprentice in the early 70s we usta make whatever we made patterns for, and my stories serve the same purpose. I read them to savor whatever it was I accomplished.

 

[le_kitty]

When a story of mine gets a positive comment or favourited, I end up re-reading it myself, to see if I still appreciate it. with a few exceptions, I end up saying to myself "well, that was nice".

For some reason I always expect my stories to make me cringe when I re-read them, like awful photos of me as a teenager. But even the bad ones aren't as terrible as I remember.

Do you re-read your old stories? How do you feel about them?

How old? Six years ago, no, I've done my best to avoid reading it for the past four years until I wrapped up the conclusion for my very sweet readers.

Cringe-worthy is the only apt term I can think of. Maybe if I give myself a few more years, it won't be as terrible as I think it is now.

 

[karaline]

When i write a phrase and it seems familiar to me. i reread stuff to make sure i haven't already used it -which can be maddening.

Oddly sometimes I reread and think, this is good, this is so much better than I remember it being, and then other times i think its so awful I want to throw myself off a high building.

 

[visioneer]

On occasion, I reread my stories for the reason mentioned by karaline -- phrases I've used before sometimes get subconsciously recycled. Rereads also remind me of aspects of my writing that I to need to improve.

 

[DreamCloud]

I wrote it. I edited (poorly as always) it many times. My mind won't stand another read. I enjoyed writing it more than reading it anyway.

 

[oggbashan]

I reread SOME of my stories frequently.

Doing that gives me ideas for the current crop of pending stories - often what NOT to do again, or which names NOT to use. I have a couple of chaptered stories that need completion. I reread them sometimes but my problems are:

1. I need to get back to the writer I was then, and that's difficult.
2. I've written myself into an impossible situation e.g. Christmas Fairy, and short of "With one bound he was free" scenarios I can't continue it. And most frequently:
3. Current stories are more important to my Muses.

 

[legerdemer]

In principle I should read them to improve. In practice, there's too little time, so if I re-read them, it's very rarely. I prefer reading others' stories to find inspiration - and by that, I generally mean how other writers I admire structure their stories and build their characters.

 

[sr71plt]

Sometimes. Usually when I received an e-mail on an old one and have to check what the heck they're talking about.

 

[jomar]

Sure. One of them still makes me laugh.

 

[lovecraft68]

Only the ones I feel were 'serious'. I can say that I have never once looked back on things like 'My Mom's Horny Drunk' or 'Porn shoot with my sister' anything like that was a one off written posted, see ya later.

I have revisited Every Dog Has its Day, My Circle books(only two of the five are here and they are shorter versions) SWB and Abigail.

For me its about capturing a mood, all the above were dark pieces and when I'm ready to delve back into that type of material I find rereading one of those helps 'sink' back into that morbid turn of thought