How Do You Love Your Own Work?

[WaterFish]

I started off and even now tend to write cool scenes from works I like… but realise now that even though I can recreate scenes, I can’t come to truly appreciate my own work like others.

Even though I put so much effort and attention to detail crafting scenes, how can I hate or feel so indifferent towards my own work once it’s finally finished? How do people love what they write?

I guess this is just a me thing or maybe something others can relate to somehow.

What about you? Do you love your work?

 

[RepresentingWrath]

I like my story, but at the same time I think it's objectively bad and can be a lot better.

 

[LilRora]

It's a psychological thing. I once read about it, but it was long ago so I don't remember much. The most important things though is that it relates to human curiosity and the feeling of discovery, which obviously won't be there when you're reading your own story.

I guess I learned to live with it? I enjoy writing without a detailed plan, where I discover the details of the story by myself as I write. My past stories, where that's absent, don't feel engaging to me, but that's mostly because I know everything there's to know about them.

Imagine reading a story once, then again, then for the third time, and think if you'll want to read it for the fourth time. That's what happens when you write a story, then edit it, then proofread it, then a month or two later go back to the past chapters - the latter might even be worse, because writers tend to think about their stories a lot in the meantime.

 

[KrakenRiderEmma]

It's easier for me, since I only wrote half of it and it's hard to remember which half (especially since I edited the whole thing). So it has the quality of something I wrote and also something that I commissioned and got to read, blended together. While re-reading and editing, I'll come across some bad stuff that I fix ("ugh, who wrote that part...") and some sections I'm genuinely surprised by and like ("whoa, who wrote that part!?!")

I've experienced a little bit of this in works I wrote purely on my own, but it's hard to achive, unless...
a) you write really fast, in a barely-conscious frenzy
b) you put it away for a while and come back to it
c) you ruthlessly slash away the bad stuff to re-discover the gems

 

[ShipTeaser]

Yes, I like.my story and the characters. Is it perfect? Hell no.
Could it be better? Obviously.

But perfect is the enemy of good enough, and it captures enough of the characters and plot that I can enjoy it for what it is

 

[Representing_Tromba]

I wouldn't be trying to improve it if I didn't love it. I may not love my skill but I love the world I've been able to create. Might as well try to make it better.

 

[Shard]

I like my work, but it is far too flawed for me to love it. Gotta keep improving.

 

[Avakrael]

I started off and even now tend to write cool scenes from works I like… but realise now that even though I can recreate scenes, I can’t come to truly appreciate my own work like others.

Even though I put so much effort and attention to detail crafting scenes, how can I hate or feel so indifferent towards my own work once it’s finally finished? How do people love what they write?

I guess this is just a me thing or maybe something others can relate to somehow.

What about you? Do you love your work?

a fic is an end in itself

which means it exists for it's own sake

no longer needing your assistance to carry the value you've imbued

Asolyrx - fallen | Scribble Hub

www.scribblehub.com

make it so you can't help but like it

 

[greyblob]

why write something you don't like? this is not a job

 

[LunaSoltaer]

what if it is... *contract writing intensifies*

... but yeah no. For me, I like to focus on what about my book made me want to write it in the first place. Then I find solace in incremental progression to force the experience into my palms..

Because there is SOMETHING you like about your book else youd have bot bothered.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Don't love what you write.
Write what you love.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Carefully

 

[Paul__Michaels]

Yeah, for me I really like R-18 novels and found a few that I really liked but never loved so I tried my hand at making my own. Most fun I've had in reading.
Granted my work had a few errors at first, but lucky after readers have been pointing them out and just putting in the hours of writing. I'm enjoying my novels over others. (and Grammarly helps too)
My issue right now is, I try to read other authors' works and I struggle to get into them.

 

[Bartun]

I'm absolutely in love with my story. ?

 

[Deleted member 54065]

I started off and even now tend to write cool scenes from works I like… but realise now that even though I can recreate scenes, I can’t come to truly appreciate my own work like others.

Even though I put so much effort and attention to detail crafting scenes, how can I hate or feel so indifferent towards my own work once it’s finally finished? How do people love what they write?

I guess this is just a me thing or maybe something others can relate to somehow.

What about you? Do you love your work?

Yep, I love my work simply because I wrote and exerted effrot to complete it.

There are times, especially after finishing it, that I didn't like what I wrote. However, I take a long rest for a while, then read it again, and find that I've written something I like.

Sometimes, it's just exhaustion taking over, see? So don't rewrite immediately.

 

[Deleted member 113259]

Yeah, it's flawed as hell. Still love it. Imagine having a hobby you don't even like that you aren't being paid for. Why would anyone write if they didn't love their work?

 

[HelloHound]

I like my protagonist and I want to see her story through, though the actual story (and writing >.<) could use some work

 

[CupcakeNinja]

I like my story, but at the same time I think it's objectively bad and can be a lot better.

Same. Kinda. I think they're objectively good but could be better.

And yet, deep down my narcissistic self tells me they are perfection. While also deep down, my lazy cunt self tells me it's too much effort to try and improve anyway.

So yeah.

 

[miyoga]

Don't love what you write.
Write what you love.

Yep, I love my work simply because I wrote and exerted effrot to complete it.

There are times, especially after finishing it, that I didn't like what I wrote. However, I take a long rest for a while, then read it again, and find that I've written something I like.

Sometimes, it's just exhaustion taking over, see? So don't rewrite immediately.

These both kinda sum it up. Loving what you write is really an exercise in self-love (not the narcissism of @CupcakeNinja, but it isn't NOT narcissism). If you love what you've written, it would ideally have a bit of yourself in it and something that couldn't be anything other than you. Even when we read others works, the reason we love things is because we find a part of ourselves in the work. Whether that's bat-shit crazy antics or straight-laced law abidance is for the individual to decide.

I love what I've written recently because I stopped trying to force the writing and just let it come naturally. Once I finished it, I had the general "is this shit or the shit" and hit the publish button with the thought of "whatever, fuck it" because it was written for me. I bet most people who read just the first paragraph few paragraphs won't get all the jokes and references, but I do and I love mythology, so that's what I wrote and am continuing to write.

 

[Gryphon]

I like the stories I create but can still understand that I have a lot to improve on. Just read the two stories under me. The first one is basically me not giving too much of a crap about the writing until later on in the story when I actually did something with the characters. Because of that there's a lot of writing errors and I didn't like editing in the slightest, so a lot of things passed me by.

The second is better but very underdeveloped because I really wanted to write my main story so if I kept writing the second story, then I would need to take time off writing my main one. I'd say that's my main problem as a writer. I have a ton of ideas for a ton of epics. Most of my story ideas could easily pass a hundred chapters, three could reach a thousand, and that second story I have down there could reach two thousand if I put all my ideas for it into the story.