I think you should always please yourself with what you do, and enjoy yourself. Trouble is, sometimes we can be our own worst critics, and it's hard to step away from the work and judge it impartially. OLther people always spot things that you miss, too.
Rule #1, if you're gonna critique, be prepared to back it up. Grammar is fixable, I know this because I am terminally grammatically challenged. I however had a wonderful beta reader who not only pointed them out, gave me the correct example and explained WHY. I still have issues with effect and affect. Rule #2, being published doesn't mean your a good writer.
Lastly rule #3, take the good with the bad, if people like your stories, they will over look the occasional error, and probably bad mouth your editor lol. Seriously... there are tools to help with the basics, it's the story that makes the difference.
I actually know people who think Charlaine Harris is a hack, her characters are boring, and the stories aren't worth the paper they're written on. Yes, Sookie, Eric, & Pam boring. Don't let a few deter you from the stories you want to tell.
I know my limitations, like you, and that's a good thing. If you know them, you can work with them and make allotments for them. It's the not-knowing that drives me insane. Sometimes, I wonder if she said it knowing what it would do to me.
Charlaine Harris is a good writer. She beats the hell out of J.K. Rowling - hell, she's much better in verbage and structure than Alice Sebold. OMG, there's the perfect example. Lovely Bones is all about story idea and bad execution.
I've come to terms with the fact that although my stuff is never quite right in my eyes, it's often good enough for whatever purpose it's supposed to serve. That sounds like a terrible thing to say, because it sounds like I'm settling for second best, but what I mean is that if I agonise about the work not being as good as it could be, I lose my mojo. My best stuff just kind of falls out of me, and it feels effortless. The stuff that feels like hard work is never as good as the other stuff.
So I think what I'm trying to say is that you should stop worrying about how good you are and just be as good as you are!
You will. I have faith in you. Besides, you showed me Dad for the first time. :-) You win!
I subscribe to the Picasso school of thought that a piece is never finished, merely abandoned. I know I could work a thing to death trying to mimic what's in my head. However, laws of physics don't apply to my brain.
So I think what I'm trying to say is that you should stop worrying about how good you are and just be as good as you are!
I subscribe to the Picasso school of thought that a piece is never finished, merely abandoned.
That's definitely true for me. My problem is that I usually abandon things too early. I'm a lazy person, and the minute something starts to feel like work, I head for the hills. Suffer for my art? Fuck that. Life's too short! :P
Don't worry. I'm suffering enough for both our art! LOL!
I've learned that if I'm stuck, it's my subconscious' way of telling me something's wrong. I stop, back up, figure out what's wrong, fix it and then move of with ease.
Well, with relative ease. Heh. I also subscribe to the school of that that anything worth doing isn't easy.
I think you should always please yourself with what you do, and enjoy yourself. Trouble is, sometimes we can be our own worst critics, and it's hard to step away from the work and judge it impartially. OLther people always spot things that you miss, too.
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Rule #2, being published doesn't mean your a good writer.
Lastly rule #3, take the good with the bad, if people like your stories, they will over look the occasional error, and probably bad mouth your editor lol. Seriously... there are tools to help with the basics, it's the story that makes the difference.
I actually know people who think Charlaine Harris is a hack, her characters are boring, and the stories aren't worth the paper they're written on. Yes, Sookie, Eric, & Pam boring. Don't let a few deter you from the stories you want to tell.
Reply
Charlaine Harris is a good writer. She beats the hell out of J.K. Rowling - hell, she's much better in verbage and structure than Alice Sebold. OMG, there's the perfect example. Lovely Bones is all about story idea and bad execution.
Reply
I've come to terms with the fact that although my stuff is never quite right in my eyes, it's often good enough for whatever purpose it's supposed to serve. That sounds like a terrible thing to say, because it sounds like I'm settling for second best, but what I mean is that if I agonise about the work not being as good as it could be, I lose my mojo. My best stuff just kind of falls out of me, and it feels effortless. The stuff that feels like hard work is never as good as the other stuff.
So I think what I'm trying to say is that you should stop worrying about how good you are and just be as good as you are!
Reply
I subscribe to the Picasso school of thought that a piece is never finished, merely abandoned. I know I could work a thing to death trying to mimic what's in my head. However, laws of physics don't apply to my brain.
So I think what I'm trying to say is that you should stop worrying about how good you are and just be as good as you are!
You're a genius. You know that, right?
Reply
That's definitely true for me. My problem is that I usually abandon things too early. I'm a lazy person, and the minute something starts to feel like work, I head for the hills. Suffer for my art? Fuck that. Life's too short! :P
You're a genius. You know that, right?
Yeah, I wish!
Reply
I've learned that if I'm stuck, it's my subconscious' way of telling me something's wrong. I stop, back up, figure out what's wrong, fix it and then move of with ease.
Well, with relative ease. Heh. I also subscribe to the school of that that anything worth doing isn't easy.
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