Written and Abandoned

[dr_mabeuse]

The idea that people write stories, post them, and then never go back and look at them kind of bothers me. It reminds me of abandoning babies on strangers' doorsteps.

I don't go and read my posted stories that much, but every so often I'll go have a look to see if the story still works for me, or to see what it was that I thought was so good or bad about it when I posted it. I always go and read a story when it's newly posted, just to see what it looks like in Lit format.

I'm curious as to what your relationship is with your published babies. Do you visit them? Call once a week? Hide in embarrassment? Or just never look at them again. And if you don't ever look them up, why not?

---dr.M.

 

[NoJo]

Like my real children, I look at them and wonder how the hell something like them could possibly have been spawned from a mixture of my jack-off and alcohol

 

[lucky-E-leven]

I visit mine. Infrequently, but every now and then when I'm in the mood to read but not necessarily feeling patient enough to test-drive someone else's work, I'll go through and check them out.

Sometimes I'm prompted by a feedback that mentioned a specific scene and I go back and refresh my memory before replying back.

Most of the time it's gratifying, but it never fails that I find a tiny typo or a missed punctuation. Grrrrr...

~lucky

 

[Guest]

I always go back and read my stories at least once a month, whether they are stories posted on Lit, or others. My writing is constantly growing and developing, and I often find that something I wrote six months ago now looks like a steaming pile of shit (to me, anyway). Ok, maybe not quite as bad as that, but I did have that reaction to an early story of mine a few weeks ago. I completely re-wrote it, and submitted it to Lit, it's now been in the top five of one of the top lists, for the past two weeks.

So, yes, it does pay to look after and nurture your babies.

Lou

 

[Guest]

I visited recently for the first time since they came into existence. I thought they were well enough. I'm a bad mum, told them I'd probably not return.

Perdita

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Reading my own stories is a trial, not only beacuse every typo, misspelled word and odd constrution jumps out at me, but because I can see where I could have done so much better with the core idea if I had known then what I know now.

That said, wheneve I start a new story and a secne is reminiscent of something I have done before I go back to the old work and reread it. Not only to see how I handled it before, but also to make sure I am not doing the new scene in exactly the same way. I revisit characters, study the personality I gave them and compare it to the personality of the characters I am currently writing.

As the volume of my posted work grows, it becomes less onerous to re read my own as I am not constantly returning to the same story again and again. Asmuch as i may have been enchanted with it when published, the 60th re read is usually enough to have me wanting to pull it.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

 

[gauchecritic]

I'm glad you asked this question Mab. I re-read one of my very first stories last week, to check up on something or other and found myself reading it the whole way through simply because I liked how it was written. Once again I was overcome with the feeling "I wrote that."

It had the desired effect of porn/erotica, it was pleasant to read, and I wrote it.

I remember all my stories when I occasionally check them for any added pm's and recall them fondly.

Gauche

 

[Guest]

 

[pixiesjuice]

I think I've gone back to three of mine to re-read them, that's not so good, it means that I have fifteen, neglected and abandoned.

Call social services I'm a crap mother.

 

[oggbashan]

I think I've gone back to three of mine to re-read them, that's not so good, it means that I have fifteen, neglected and abandoned.

Call social services I'm a crap mother.

Then I'm a crap father.

Unless I intend to write a sequel, or I am unhappy with some aspect of the story, I regard it as a completed creation that has to stand or fall as it is.

It was written then, by me as I was. Trying to re-read it is painful particularly if it is more than a couple of years old. I, as I am now, couldn't write that story in the same way.

I think I've improved not just in technique but in writing to a wider audience. Sometimes I get it wrong but even so I leave the story alone.

The next one is always my best one.

Og

PS. I have many abandoned half-completed stories. After a lapse of a few months I can't complete them because I wouldn't have started such a story.

 

[SadieRose]

I'm very protective of my (wordy) children. I hate the fact that they're being misrepresented by thieving Trans-sexuals, so I keep coming back and licking my wounds and curling around them like a mother wolf. I don't think that people should write stuff that they don't feel any responsibility for. I love my characters and I hope that works for the people reading my stories (votes are vaguely encouraging in that respect) but this is the first time that I've ever really had a long run of submissions with anything, cause I have to work really long hours as well so I don't get so much time to write.

I do keep an eye on things. And so does my solicitor, now!!

*bares teeth*

 

[Carl East]

Just recently I've only been interested in a handful of the stories I've writen, mainly because I've wanted to see the remarks that readers leave behind. It gives you a clear indication as to whether it's liked or not, by the general public.

I recieved some very positive remarks concerning my 'Hell's Gate,' series, which in turn spurs you on to write more of the same. I also wanted to know how my two books were doing and was pleased to see a 'H' next to both of them.

I suppose a lot of it, is self indulgence. When recieving praise for your work you're head swells a little, and you tend to write more. At least that's how I feel, but don't quote me. lol

Carl

 

[minsue]

Once again I was overcome with the feeling "I wrote that."

Every time you post that statement it just makes me grin from ear to ear, Gauche.

 

[shereads]

I'm glad you asked this question Mab. I re-read one of my very first stories last week, to check up on something or other and found myself reading it the whole way through simply because I liked how it was written. Once again I was overcome with the feeling "I wrote that."

It had the desired effect of porn/erotica, it was pleasant to read, and I wrote it.

I remember all my stories when I occasionally check them for any added pm's and recall them fondly.

Gauche

It's nice to hear someone express a liking for his work. Not egotistical, just honest. I read somewhere that Woody Allen never sees his films in the theater, and I can imagine feeling that fear of rejection - if I first had the courage to put something I'd created in front of the world to be loved or hated or - worst of all - ignored. It's refreshing to learn that creativity doesn't have to live in disbelief of itself.

 

[shereads]

Once again I was overcome with the feeling "I wrote that."

I had that feeling once about "To Kill A Mockingbird," but it turned out that I hadn't written it at all. I've never entirely recovered from the disappointment.

 

[Green_Gem]

Like Dr Mab, I always read the story when it goes online to see it in the Lit format, and that's where I would notice the punctuation problems. If there is something really annoying, I might resubmit the story with editing otherwise I just leave it alone to face the world.

I do go back to the stories to reread them, but it's often motivated by the fact that I get a new feedback letter on an old story. Sometimes, depending on my mood, I will read a story again to see if it still works for me, and I have one or two stories that are my favorites and have special significance and meaning for me. Those I read for pure indulgence and nostalgic reasons. There's only one story, my first, that I avoid, and that's because it was so amateurish and pure stroke. But I do think of it as a starting point and I do know that I have got better.


G_G

 

[damppanties]

I don't think of my stories as my babies. I think of them as friends. Yes, I visit them. I like them. I'm fond of them. Some I love. Some I love a little less than the others. Sometimes I'm embarrassed by some parts of them. I'm inordinately proud of some of them.

 

[wishfulthinking]

I won't ever re-read a story once it is posted - it is too excruciating. All I see is the mistakes, or like Colly, where I could have done something different and better.

Even when doing a sequel chapter. For instance, in my latest chapter, I simply whizzed to the bottom of ch.05, cut and past the last few sentences, and plonked them in ch.06 and started writing [apologies to any readers].

I leave it for readers to tell me if there are any mistakes, especially the helpful services of Lime . Or if I get feedback saying they liked the twist in ch.02, I would be sitting there thinking was there a twist?

Turn on value - nil! Eek!

 

[Linbido]

With my esteem issues about writing, going back and rereadng old stuff is really important. When I'm down and out, I go back to things I have written, expecting it to be as sucky as I feel.

The reaction goes something like this: "Hey, comprehensible prose. Almost readable poetry. A functional essay. As good as any other amateur writing out there. And I wrote it. Me. And there are only a few little mistakes here and there. Jesus on a pogo stick, I rock!"

Wishful, you and Colly might want to lower yourself to my level. Expect that your writing stinks and that every sentence contains more misspelled words than correct ones, and you'll be pleasantly surprised every time you reread your stories.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

It's nice to hear someone express a liking for his work. Not egotistical, just honest. I read somewhere that Woody Allen never sees his films in the theater, and I can imagine feeling that fear of rejection - if I first had the courage to put something I'd created in front of the world to be loved or hated or - worst of all - ignored. It's refreshing to learn that creativity doesn't have to live in disbelief of itself.

I used to avoid reading my older stuff, but that's really a form of self-indulgence that you can't afford if you're interested in improving. I've since learned to cut myself some slack and see the good as well as the bad in my stories.

I've also had the wonderful feeling of reading something and thinking it was pretty good, only to discover that it was something I'd written and forgotten about. It's a really strange feeling, but it makes you feel gooder than hell.

I would think that one of the worst things that could happen to a writer would be to be totally satisfied with something they've written but not have their opinion shared by their readers. What do you do then? Just curse your readers?

---dr.M.

 

[Liar]

I'll tell you, when I have even one old story to go back to.

(working on it)

#L

 

[gauchecritic]

I would think that one of the worst things that could happen to a writer would be to be totally satisfied with something they've written but not have their opinion shared by their readers. What do you do then? Just curse your readers?

---dr.M.

Cursing the readers is what writing is all about. If they think my story has no saving graces it's simply because they are ignorant: of the background (still in my head),
of the strange happening that occurred seven years previously to a minor character that was too involved to include,
of the fact that many facts and appearances are only alluded to (but they missed them all)
of the wonderful literary skills that only an erudite philosopher could encompass
of being stupid. (Nothing worse than not knowing you're stupid)

Gauche

 

[shereads]

Cursing the readers is what writing is all about.

Thank you, Doctor Seuss.

 

[gauchecritic]

Cursing the readers is what writing is all about.

Gauche

Hmm. Out of context makes that really interesting doesn't it? Like being cursed with the need to read more. Or cursed with not knowing what happens after the story ends. Oh yes. Very good, very good.




The only time in my life I've ever been able to say "I wish I'd said that... Oh. I did."

Gauche