Would you recognise your own writing?

[Liar]

Something eerie happened today. I was browsing through a tech blog for work purposes, and came across an opinion piece on the current roght wing goverment's policy on IP (intellectual property).

He had a quote, two long paragraphs, of someone writing a debate column four years ago about the former, left wing goverment's policy on IP.

I thought the passage was a pleasant read, and I agreed totally w the opinion, but I didn't think more of it. Then I came to the end of the quote, and saw that it was attributed to...me.

The fact that I'd forgotten something I wrote four years ago is not all that suprising. I write much too much to ever remember it all. But i thought I'd recognize my style and word choices.

Minsue's recent challenge made it clear that some of us could pick out the writings of some other's writing pretty much blindfolded. I was 110% certain of at least three of my picks and was right.

But apparently, I wouldn't be able to recognize myself.

Would you?

 

[TheeGoatPig]

I'd recognize some of it.

My forums posts have very excessive ellipses and parenthesis (and smilies ) I'm pretty sure I have a definite style to the way that I reply on bulliten boards.

My stories on the other hand, are fairly non-descript. I don't think my style of wring is all that different from a lot of other writers. In fact, I think very few writers actually do stand out from the masses. I'm not saying that everyone is the same, there are different style of writing, but most of us fit into one of five or six categories that have tons of other writers in them.

Then again, I'm about to take a nap at work, so don't listen to my ramblings

 

[TheEarl]

I'm often surprised by how good some of my earlier work was. I don't really remember writing some of it and it appears I did channel my favourite writer (Christophre Brookmyre) for a couple of scenes.

Sadly, I think the magic's missing a little nowadays.

The Earl

 

[Misty_Morning]

You betcha.

About 12 years ago I wrote a piece on the Massacre of Glencoe for my ex-husband's genealogy web page I had started. Three years later I saw my text plagerized on another site. I knew it was mine after reading the first sentence. I emailed the webmaster for the site along with a link to the genealogy page (now defunct). After two years it was still there, with no credit given to me.

I have several different writing styles, but I can recognize my own work lickety split.

 

[Fallenfromgrace]

Hmmmm, i think i'd recognise my work from the structure of the sentences and misuse of certain words and also particular typo's i make too often.

I think it depends on how much of an effect the writting had- if it was a pretty important piece id probably recognise it more than a more mundane one.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I recognise my fiction because I edit it untill I know it by heart

I'd probably reognise my posts because I aways misspell "untill"

 

[Fallenfromgrace]

I recognise my fiction because I edit it untill I know it by heart

I'd probably reognise my posts because I aways misspell "untill"

Agreed on the fiction lol...i over-worry lol.

 

[SesameStreet]

I sure would.

 

[cloudy]

I think I would.

Am I sure? No.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

There's a great story about Tolstoy. About a year after War and Peace was published, he walked into the sitting room in his mansion and stopped at the doorway. His oldest daughter was reading the book out loud to her two younger sisters. He stood there for a few minutes, listening. Then he said, "That's good. Who wrote that?"

 

[Grushenka]

Re. my non-erotica:
After the first shitty draft I always wonder 'who the fuck wrote this'? Then later it happens again and I wonder who I am. Gr.

 

[Guest]

no, im sure i wouldnt recognise something i wrote that long ago. hell, maybe even last year.
unless it were in this format with no deliberate punctuation, a squillion elipse's, made up words, and suck ass grammar...maybe then i would know.

 

[Liar]

no, im sure i wouldnt recognise something i wrote that long ago. hell, maybe even last year.
unless it were in this format with no deliberate punctuation, a squillion elipse's, made up words, and suck ass grammar...maybe then i would know.

Heck babes, it's vella-ese. Not that many have their own language to write in.

 

[Guest]

Heck babes, it's vella-ese. Not that many have their own language to write in.

i have such a tremendous urge to peench your cheeks and hug you tight.
i dont know where that comes from but im not fighting it too terribly hard.

 

[RogueLurker]

I've always recoginzed the "boilerplate" and template passages that I have created over the years ... and it makes me laugh when people turn it into me as their own inputs. It makes vetting the information that much easier though ... and I always compliment their writing style.

I can't imagine ever not recognizing one of my fiction passages ... I deliberate over them for such a long time, the words are burned into my brain. I suppose that with enough time, it is possible ...