Comments | the_audren_file: Musings most horrid

the_audren_file

Musings most horrid

Mar 15, 2010 00:42

I keep telling myself (and everyone willing to listen) that I want to improve as a writer. I know I do. I sincerely, truly want to but the fact of the matter is I have no idea how to go about this. Will writing the same things over and over and over make me a better writer at that specific thing? Or will forcing myself out of my comfort zone be ( Read more... )

catch22, recap

Comments 15

broken_aurora March 14 2010, 19:17:50 UTC

I think everything I write is the same. (Probably because it is!)

As for how, everyone will probably tell you something different. Obviously writing the same characters is going to make you better at writing them and allow you to expand the scenarios you can make them apart of without losing believability. However you can't get better at things you don't try. So it depends on what you want.

Needless to say you are all ready miles ahead of me. <3

the_audren_file March 16 2010, 13:52:38 UTC

*gives you lots of huuuuugs and wishes for you to feel better because the last time we spoke you said you weren't feeling well*

I swear, I didn't mean to not respond to this sooner but for some reason my net connection was being a huge brat and wouldn't cooperate with me ;A;

broken_aurora March 16 2010, 18:59:08 UTC

**huggles** No worries, my internet is having mood swings. And I'm almost all better, a few sniffles still but my sleeping pattern is screwed up again T_T Stupid being sick screws up everything.

I have really shitty advice to offer. essbeejay March 14 2010, 20:22:14 UTC

STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP. I don't have any real advice to offer you except that! Write whatever you want, and whatever makes you happy. If you wind up hating it, go ahead and hate it. And then write something else that makes you happy. Sooner or later you'll still be happy with it afterwards.

I know it's not really helpful advice, but it's all I got. More than anything, don't beat yourself up. Please.

Re: I have really shitty advice to offer. the_audren_file March 16 2010, 14:01:44 UTC

But, but I'm not really beating myself up. (Well, not in this particular entry at least, hence the lack of the emo mcemo pants tag.) I do try to cut myself some slack at times and just write for the fun of it or to stop those words from scrolling over and over and over again behind my eyelids (yeah, that sounded just as weird in my head). The thing is, I'm the sort of person who wants to be able to measure things I do. I kinda want to be able to gauge that "Yup, I do this kind of scene better after a year of working at it" or "Hmmm, my metaphors need work when I try to describe this scene" so I know what to try next, or if I shouldn't try to fix what ain't broke ( ... )

Re: I have really shitty advice to offer. essbeejay March 21 2010, 02:12:47 UTC

ETA: Stupid comment posted too soon.

But, but I'm not really beating myself up. (Well, not in this particular entry at least, hence the lack of the emo mcemo pants tag.)

I am very glad to hear that! (Though you admittedly have a bad habit of beating up on yourself :( I also wasn't paying attention to the tags, though, so that's on me.) Overall I am happy (relieved, even) that you judge the process and the aftermath on two different sets of criteria. I think it's hard to quantify "progress," though, and even just a year can be too short a time to really track it... which brings me back to my shitty advice about just writing what makes you happy, and hating it afterwards if that's what winds up happening.

In any case, it does suck a lot of the time, and it's hard to measure progress, and you can't control how you may feel about it or look at it afterwards, so all I can tell you there is just keep writing what you want to, or trying to write what you want to, and good luck in the meantime.

taedenitespiral March 15 2010, 04:33:56 UTC

Okay, let me first put your mind at ease...from where I am standing, you have definitely NOT gotten worse as a writer. Put that thought out of your head, because it isn't true and doesn't belong in there. Ha. There.

I find it really hard to gauge my own writing. It has definitely improved since I first started writing fanfic about 100 years ago. However, I didn't do anything specific to improve other than, well, write. It sounds like lame advice, but it is what works for me. Try new things, old things, it doesn't make that big of a difference. If it sticks, it sticks, and if it doesn't, well, it was fun to try.

I know how you feel about writing styles conflicting! I used to spend A LOT OF TIME doing ACADEMIC writing, which is completely different from creative writing.

the_audren_file March 16 2010, 14:06:58 UTC

I honestly can't tell if I have or haven't worsened/improved but I truly appreciate the assurance! Thank you! Net was bizarro spotty yesterday like I could log onto LJ and stuff but it. Wouldn't. Let. Me. Post. So I spent most of last night all "DDDDDD8 RESPONSES! I HAS THEM! LEMME MAKE THEM!" and the connection's all "Nyuuuuuu~ HURR DURR 8B" and I'm all ";A; *flail flail flail*" and it's all "HERE! HAS SOME LOLCATS!" and then I'm all "Oh sure for LOLCats you'll work :/"

I might do something new, or try something new the upcoming months. March seems to be a very, erm, non-friendly to Addy!writings.

ADLSKJFLSKJFSDLF ACADEMIC WRITING IS EEEEEEEEVIL! And honestly I was amazed at how well you managed to balance between that and writing all them OZZUM GWEVIN fics *w* I think for the fun of it, I'm gonna try writing a fic in tech doc style. FOR THE LULZ!

taedenitespiral March 16 2010, 14:12:19 UTC

I can't tell if I've improved lately, it seems to all come in retroactively. I'll all of a sudden realize that: OMG! That old fic was awful! This one is so much better!

March has been unfriendly to Hime writings as well. Bleh. I hope April will be better.

I really love creative writing, so I think all those Gwevin fics helped me keep in touch with that. I'm so glad you think they are ozzum! XD

I like fics...FOR THE LULZ.

the_audren_file March 16 2010, 14:47:31 UTC

*gives HUUUUUUUUUUGS and positive vibrations through the interwebs for Hime!*

I hope the Darkles kitty makes things go your way *w*

Fics for the LULZ in small doses can be ozzum 8DDDDD

Thread 6

I'm all full of cliches blouper March 15 2010, 05:32:31 UTC

We are our own worst critics, but beating yourself up about writing won't help ya much. You'll get upset over your writing, and your writing suffer, it'll be a cycle until you won't write anymore. Happened to me once. Ugliest writer's block of my life. Then I got over it, but that's my personality ( ... )

Re: I'm all full of cliches the_audren_file March 16 2010, 14:46:01 UTC

I was actually holding back on the emo mcemo pants with this entry (I seriously need an "EMO off" button like some of the UPS units we have here) but I will acknowledge that it wouldn't have been much to get me to cross the border into full-blown EMO territory ( ... )

Re: I'm all full of cliches blouper March 17 2010, 00:14:23 UTC

You didn’t sound emo at all! I think this is a completely justifyable instance. I always remember this quote: “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” ~Thomas Mann. It makes me feel better about my frustrations (aka wanting to throw my pencil/computer across the room) with writing ( ... )