Everyone is a week past the whole writing rules and advice meta, I realize, but I started talking about this in a thread the other day, and finally had time to finish it off, so voila, you get it anyway
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Here is another way to think about that -- just think of your favorite author, rank your top five stories of theirs, then imagine that all of them except the first one have just vanished. Tragedy, right? Even if the first one is the very best and your favorite, it doesn't mean you didn't enjoy that fifth-best one a whole lot also. Of course, that is from the reader's perspective, but that's one of the great things about fanfic, that we're in this community where we are writing for each other, that people actually want to read our stories. Give us the story! *g*
Aside from that, I really do believe that improvement is *happening* with every story, even if you don't know it or see it at the time, and that a lot of the gains happen in the finishing process. Maybe the story you think isn't as good is actually just working a different set of writing muscles, like cross-training. Or maybe it's just a piece of fluff that cleanses the mental palate or loosens you up for the next 'big' story.
Whatever else, I think it is absolutely safe to say that you will be at least a little better off for having the story finished and out there rather than sitting half-finished on your hard drive, where you're definitely not learning from it and the community is not benefiting from it.
Aside from that, I really do believe that improvement is *happening* with every story, even if you don't know it or see it at the time, and that a lot of the gains happen in the finishing process. Maybe the story you think isn't as good is actually just working a different set of writing muscles, like cross-training. Or maybe it's just a piece of fluff that cleanses the mental palate or loosens you up for the next 'big' story.
Whatever else, I think it is absolutely safe to say that you will be at least a little better off for having the story finished and out there rather than sitting half-finished on your hard drive, where you're definitely not learning from it and the community is not benefiting from it.
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