Putting stuff out there is terrifying. I've not hit a point where it's become any less terrifying, but I've not been doing this for terribly long either, so it may get easier. Eventually.
As for your perspective, it's not there. Period. You can't judge your own work with ANY sense of objectivity when you're still that close to it. It takes months. Sometimes 2, sometimes 6, sometimes more. Sometimes you look at it and go "ugh no" years later. And sometimes people REALLY LIKE the stuff you think is crap even years later and you wonder wtf is wrong with you.
Find someone you trust and ask for a second opinion. Not just to be honest, but to be honest in the way that you most need. Do you need encouragement? Do you need gentle concrit? Firm concrit? Someone outside your head is SO SO SO SO helpful for everything, not just the weird word choices and word skipping and this makes sense in my head but not anywehre outside of it way, but in the "I am too close and I honestly can't tell if this is even WORKING" way.
Start with gentle. It's easier to say "be harsher" once you are certain you can handle it than it is to learn the hard way that you can't ❤
It can take time to learn to separate yourself from your work enough to remember what they are saying is not any form of "you suck" because starting put, "this doesn't work like this" and "you suck" can sound really similar. ❤
What Eidheann said. You're never going to be objective about your own work, especially not this soon after having written it. Find someone you trust to be honest with you and get them to give you feedback.
This: Part of me is like, "Yeah, this isn't half bad" but then I start thinking that it's obviously terrible and the characterizations are crap and I'm doing too much telling and it's just a mess. What even are words? ...made me laugh, because I absolutely could have written this myself about my own writing, and I'm pretty sure most other writers would agree. What are words indeed! XD But writing is a skill just like any other, and the only way to get better at it is to practice. And over time you do get better about being able to tell the difference between when you're actually writing crap and when you're just being ridiculous about it. Still not perfect, because objectivity and all, but better. <3
( ... )
Man, one of my (many) problems is that I hate being bad at things, and I'm impatient about getting better. When I first started learning Spanish, all I could think about is how much I just wanted to be speaking fluently in rapid-fire Spanish and it was such a drag knowing that it wouldn't happen overnight. But I do think it's easy to forget that writing is a learn-able skill, especially when you only see somebody else's finished product and not everything that went into creating it.
BE HONEST with what you're asking for. This fandom is SO SO loving and SO SO supportive. We will ALWAYS want you to succeed and that is much more likely if you get what you need.
If you need baby'ing and hand-holding, be honest with that. There's nothing wrong with it, it just changes the way you will work with problems. If you want someone to rip in and SPAG you mercilessly, you can be honest with that too.
Some readers aren't going to be comfortable being mean betas. Some aren't good at hand-holding. Neither is wrong, and neither is personal. But no one wants to give you a firm beta when you're needing handholding, because that's just going to make you miserable, and make them feel guilty.
(I've had several people beta for me, I've beta'd for several people. Sometimes we work well together, sometimes we work together once and never again. It's just finding the best way to do the best job everyone can do.)
This definitely makes sense and seems like solid advice.
I think the hard part is figuring out exactly what I want from it, if I'd get more from gentle guidance or a firm hand. (she said, not at all sexually) ;)
Yay go you, that is fantastic! Even if you end up not putting them out there for other people to see, getting the words in your head down onto paper/screen is still a huge achievement, you should feel proud of yourself regardless! <333
I've been writing fic for nearly 5 years now, and believe me, it never gets any easier. Out of all the stories I've written, I have about 2 that I can stand to reread without cringing, because as soon as a story is done, I am always certain that it's crap, haha! I guess it just depends on the type of person you are; some people have enough confidence to see their work for what it is, others have wayyyyy too much confidence and others undersell themselves, lol
( ... )
Seriously, if you do decide to have someone read them for you, I would be more than willing. I actually do more proofing/editing/beta work than I do writing lmao. And if you want my completely unsolicited opinion, you can kind of tell if someone has the ability to be a good fiction writer by the way they write normally, so I can tell you're almost guaranteed to not suck, jsyk <3
I get this sick, twisted feeling all the time that everything I write is crap, to the point where I've dropped out of several fests as a result. I don't think it gets easier for me, but that's something I have to work on and one of the reasons I signed up for hp_concrit_fest.
But you! I love reading your recs and if your fics are anything like those, then I think you should certainly go for it. Don't freak out and good luck!
(like the unfortunate corn-rows incident of '03, I did not pull those off) :)
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Putting stuff out there is terrifying. I've not hit a point where it's become any less terrifying, but I've not been doing this for terribly long either, so it may get easier. Eventually.
As for your perspective, it's not there. Period. You can't judge your own work with ANY sense of objectivity when you're still that close to it. It takes months. Sometimes 2, sometimes 6, sometimes more. Sometimes you look at it and go "ugh no" years later. And sometimes people REALLY LIKE the stuff you think is crap even years later and you wonder wtf is wrong with you.
Find someone you trust and ask for a second opinion. Not just to be honest, but to be honest in the way that you most need. Do you need encouragement? Do you need gentle concrit? Firm concrit? Someone outside your head is SO SO SO SO helpful for everything, not just the weird word choices and word skipping and this makes sense in my head but not anywehre outside of it way, but in the "I am too close and I honestly can't tell if this is even WORKING" way.
*huuugs*
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I think figuring out what kind of concrit I need is the next hard step. And I know I definitely need another set of eyes. You said it perfectly!
Thanks, hon! {{{{hugs backs}}}}
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It can take time to learn to separate yourself from your work enough to remember what they are saying is not any form of "you suck" because starting put, "this doesn't work like this" and "you suck" can sound really similar. ❤
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This: Part of me is like, "Yeah, this isn't half bad" but then I start thinking that it's obviously terrible and the characterizations are crap and I'm doing too much telling and it's just a mess. What even are words? ...made me laugh, because I absolutely could have written this myself about my own writing, and I'm pretty sure most other writers would agree. What are words indeed! XD But writing is a skill just like any other, and the only way to get better at it is to practice. And over time you do get better about being able to tell the difference between when you're actually writing crap and when you're just being ridiculous about it. Still not perfect, because objectivity and all, but better. <3 ( ... )
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But wine! Wine I can do. I have lots of wine. :D
Thanks, hon!! ♥ ♥
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(The comment has been removed)
BE HONEST with what you're asking for. This fandom is SO SO loving and SO SO supportive. We will ALWAYS want you to succeed and that is much more likely if you get what you need.
If you need baby'ing and hand-holding, be honest with that. There's nothing wrong with it, it just changes the way you will work with problems. If you want someone to rip in and SPAG you mercilessly, you can be honest with that too.
Some readers aren't going to be comfortable being mean betas. Some aren't good at hand-holding. Neither is wrong, and neither is personal. But no one wants to give you a firm beta when you're needing handholding, because that's just going to make you miserable, and make them feel guilty.
(I've had several people beta for me, I've beta'd for several people. Sometimes we work well together, sometimes we work together once and never again. It's just finding the best way to do the best job everyone can do.)
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This definitely makes sense and seems like solid advice.
I think the hard part is figuring out exactly what I want from it, if I'd get more from gentle guidance or a firm hand. (she said, not at all sexually) ;)
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I've been writing fic for nearly 5 years now, and believe me, it never gets any easier. Out of all the stories I've written, I have about 2 that I can stand to reread without cringing, because as soon as a story is done, I am always certain that it's crap, haha! I guess it just depends on the type of person you are; some people have enough confidence to see their work for what it is, others have wayyyyy too much confidence and others undersell themselves, lol ( ... )
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And I definitely appreciate the offer (I may take you up on it). :D I always find it a bit awkward asking people to do things for you out of the blue.
♥
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I get this sick, twisted feeling all the time that everything I write is crap, to the point where I've dropped out of several fests as a result. I don't think it gets easier for me, but that's something I have to work on and one of the reasons I signed up for hp_concrit_fest.
But you! I love reading your recs and if your fics are anything like those, then I think you should certainly go for it. Don't freak out and good luck!
(like the unfortunate corn-rows incident of '03, I did not pull those off) :)
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Aww, thanks sweetie!
Re: the corn-rows, my family went to Mexico from a week and I was just looking at some photos. It was a dark time.
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