As an author, how do you feel when you reread your novels?

[Eldoria]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?
2. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?
3. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

 

[Seaspecter]

I love my story but holy crap was I bad a writing early on, it's cringeworthy for the first thirty chapters or so.

 

[Deleted member 166465]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?
2. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?
3. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

I dont enjoy it, nor hate them. I do feel a bit fustrated by the mistakes i found now. Still, my stories are not bad, nor good. They just "readable".

 

[Corty]

I don’t do that. Although I do enjoy it, rereading them always hits me with the: add this, change this, do this. Its a bad habit and just makes it impossible to look at it from an actual reader’s viewpoint.

Tldr;

Nope.

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

Sometimes I look back on the stuff I've written and have two main reactions: 1) cringe at what I've written (bad reaction); or 2) wonder how to heck I wrote that (better reaction).

 

[JayMark]

1. Actually, it feels way better when I read them after coming back to them then when I'm actually writing them.
2. Yes. Or if I don't, I find out why and rewrite if it's because of a story telling flaw. And don't rewrite if it is because my tastes have changed.
3. I enjoy them if it's a good story. I can watch the same thing over and over thirteen times if it's good. If it's mindless entertainment than twice at most. If it's stuff I endure for social reasons, then just once.

 

[Jerynboe]

I get nostalgic when reading my own stuff despite my first real story only being about 2 years old. It’s basically readable and very tuned to my interests. Editing is much less fun, but I’m lucky enough that I don’t go into full editing mode for my own stories any more than I go into critic mode for other people’s stories (which is to say that I do, but not to such a degree as to be overly distracting unless I lean into it).

 

[Edenc2708]

I felt absolute crap

 

[LiteraryWho]

I love rereading my stories, I think I've read each of them several dozen times. Occasionally, when I was writing them, I'd go back to check some detail, then end up reading the whole thing though back to where I was working.

For 3, it depends. If the story was dependent on a good twist, then I'd like to discover that for myself, otherwise it doesn't really bother me to know a lot about a story before I read it. I still think, I'd prefer to go in with fresh eyes, so to speak, but if I meant to read a book, knowing how it goes wouldn't stop me.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?

Nothing. Honestly, just some smooth sailing until I reach the end.

1. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?

Yes. Sadly, a lot don't.

1. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

I don't. I skip those parts, and continue on. Still enjoy the story (if I can) coz I can follow.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?

Varies wildly.

1. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?

Usually but not always

1. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

Well, the only time this ever happened to me was with the movie Species - the first time I saw it, I was literally quoting dialogue as the actors were saying it without ever seeing a script or any stories it was based on, it was THAT "by-the-numbers." Heck, it was the only time I ever completely agreed with a critic - it took him a full page to say, but in a nutshell: "There is absolutely nothing to recommend this movie, no new ideas, no interesting twists, no iconic characters, nothing at all. But I enjoyed it."

As to my own stories, I have read them, as they appeared on the page. And any time I went back and edited.

 

[lydiawinehouse]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?
2. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?
3. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

Sometimes I felt sad, how did things turned out such way, some other times I was in awe, forgetting it's my own novel especially reading conversations, I loved my stories, even the characters in it felt alive and sometimes I paused, on how shall i change plots just to save some of them, but eventually i chose 1,so the other would survive, Well i don't think I'm the one, i too have my favourite characters, and i would make to s of worldbuilding, surroundings just to keep him alive

 

[RepresentingCaution]

It depends on how old the work is. I can't stand looking at stuff I wrote in my early twenties or earlier.

 

[DaelyxLenAuphydas]

Can Authors Enjoy Their Own Stories As Readers?
​

1. As a writer, how do you feel when you reread your novels?
2. Do you enjoy stories you've written yourself?
3. How do you enjoy stories whose plots, characters, world-building, and morals you already know in detail without having read them?

I'm crazy enough to absolutely adore my own stories. Honestly I usually find myself pleasantly surprised even with the older stuff though it is obviously somewhat more rough than more recent work. I often re-read my stories over and over again and in fact, getting to do so is a big chunk of my motivation to write in the first place. I love my stories. Sometimes I wanna just gush about the things I love about my own stories but thats obviously mega egotistical so I dont. Sure I have spoilerinos about everything but, at least I can pat myself on the back for all the bits that were foreshadowing or building up to something later on.

 

[ParticleOfSand]

I don’t recognize it at all. It’s like a completely different book than I remembered.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

We as humans forget all the time. We tend to forget our writing after a while.

 

[naosu]

I dont enjoy it, nor hate them. I do feel a bit fustrated by the mistakes i found now. Still, my stories are not bad, nor good. They just "readable".

I feel like I'm with you on this. often I find re-reading a story I did puts me in editing mode. "OK let's change this part... there done. Oh dang it, there's another one..." mumbling to self.
I have also found that I feel frustrated by some of the way shows are written on TV or movies for example. And often I want to just do my own story instead, because sometimes when I watch crappy shows, I fear them throwing in a curveball somewhere. Like an example is, OK ... lately I've been watching Strange New Worlds. And MOST of the episodes are amazing and kick ass. BUT they have fail episodes too. Like the musical singing episode was major cringe factor. And cringe factors make me want to just go write my own story where I know I can write it so they don't F it up. And another example in that same series is... OK, I'm very into romance and wanting a dating sim like story to work, so when they write episodes that are messing with peoples feelings of romance that REALLY bothers me. Because I like romance. So when SNWorlds (star Trek) wrote up the episode where Nurse Chapel dumps Spock by introducing her fiance and new 'date' that she's going to marry after he basically dumped T'Print for her, that made me more upset.

 

[Clo]

Cringe. The most uncontrollable amount of cringe.

The older the story, the more I cringe.

 

[ChrisLensman]

I reread my old stuff all the time. I also edit my old stuff all the time. The whole reason I started writing my first series Godsforsaken was because there was a specific kind of story I wanted to read and nobody was writing it so I just did it myself. And while it's not quite the story I wanted it to be originally, I love what it turned into.

 

[Clo]

Well, the only time this ever happened to me was with the movie Species [...]

Complete aside, but I went to see this with a friend when it came out (I was 16 back then!) And while I enjoyed the movie, it was a pretty awkward experience seeing it at the theater.
I have been lead to believe the same happened to many who watched The Watchmen at the theaters (I enjoyed reading the comic, but didn't see the movie yet)

That said, picturing you quoting this scene made me laugh out loud, probably because I burst out laughing when it happened during the movie.

Dr. Laura Baker: I got his machine. Should I leave a message?
Preston Lennox: Yeah. Tell him he's about to copulate with a creature from outer space.

Rereading the quotes on IMDB, that movie had a lot of funny banter for what it is.