(Untitled)

[cleolinda]

I can't stop listening to the V for Vendetta soundtrack at this point, which makes this the second Dario Marianelli score in a row that I've gotten hooked on. I'm even to the point in my predictably cyclical obsessions where I would like to listen to something else, maybe some nice Garbage or at least something with guitars and maybe even some

Comments

[punkiejeannien]

not holding your hand, just musing, but I'm the same way-- curse of the creative perhaps? I know a lot of writers who are the same way-- it seems that you're either really confident to the point where you don't want to hear any criticism, even constructive, or you get so used to the little good things that the infrequent "you suck" (as you put it) just pops in your mind and you're like, "damn. and I thought I was doing so well..."

*shrig* maybe it wasn't your best, I don't know, but the most important thing is you enjoyed writing it. I've shared your m15m with my film professor (a funny little Woody Allen-ish man from NJ) and he thinks they're absolutely delightful.

[cleolinda]

Awww! I'm so glad he liked it. : )

[punkiejeannien]

he's freakin' hilarious, too, a total character-- a lot of the film students at Rhodes are devout m15m fans now :o)

[cleolinda]

Eeeeee!

[lady_elina]

If you're determined to write, there's a point at which you need to listen to criticism--but there's a point at which you have to close your eyes and move on.

The fact that you're aware of this is in itself a demonstration of you knowing quite a bit about writing.

You're very fortunate to have an audience to begin with. I tend to go to the extreme where I think the only thing that matters is writing, even if nobody reads it. If somebody writes because they love it, it already has more value than a lot of things people do for other reasons, even if there is no audience. Sometimes that's the only way for me to deal with my insecurities and keep writing.

Because I can't be the only writer who feels such deep, crippling fear that she can't even open Word in the morning.Are there any writers who don't feel this way often or on occasion? I find that writing something good is not the only challenge; the first, and possibly bigger, challenge is to overcome the fear of YOU SUCK and write something to begin with

[cleolinda]

Oh, definitely. Which is why I wanted to make sure we got past the idea that I was just trying to beg for some validation for y'all. I've read other writers talking about things like this, and I know it helped *me,* and it helped me to know that other writers have the same fears I do.

[foresthouse]

somewhat youngish, fannish, nerdish

Yep, that pretty much describes me. :)

I would seriously be surprised if most writers didn't react in the same way to even a few negative comments. Even in the discussion of a class-critiqued short story I wrote, I got, like, one slightly negative comment from the 30-person class, and I immediately started a) telling myself I couldn't believe I'd turned the story in without working another 5 hours on it; and b) trying to justify the criticized passage to the person who made the comment. Which, you know, isn't very productive or awesome, but that's how we're built.

Anyway, you should keep remembering that it's worth something. Heck, I still remember how I laughed like a FOOL when I found King Arthur in 15 Minutes (the first I read) and went back and read it again, still chuckling, and sent it to my 2 friends who'd seen the movie with me, because it was SO. FUNNY. And I still laugh when I read it or think of certain lines. So, hey - screw the critics! Learn from constructive criticism, yes - but

[foresthouse]

OT P.S. I think I vaguely recall you talking about using an RSS feed program at some point - which one do you use/any suggestions on the best one?

[cleolinda]

I started using Google Reader, because I have a gmail account and, like Mount Everest, It Was There, and I've been pretty happy with it. It's been great for putting the dailydigestnews updates together.

[foresthouse]

Great, thanks! :)

Re: long rambly comment.

[cleolinda]

Hee, it might be. I try keep my ego away from the "THEYR JUS JELLUS" mindset, but the less constructive the criticism is, the more you suspect it. Like, "JESUS CHRIST THIS IS SO LONG" (actual comment) is not constructive; "You know, you could totally cut [whatever] and not lose anything" might hurt, but it actually tells me something I could do.