Fearing That Your Writing is Terrible

jjdebenedictis · May 21, 2013

Lady Ice said:
"When a critic tells you something's wrong with your work, 99% of the time they're right. When they tell you how to solve it, 99% of the time they're wrong"

Hee! That reminds me of a similar quote I once heard regarding experimental science:

"When an old, well-respected scientist tells you that something can be done, he or she is almost always right. But when an old, well-respected scientist tells you something cannot be done, he or she is almost always wrong."

In other words, experience gives you a nose for what works, but it can also give you blind spots regarding what is possible.

KarmaChameleon · May 21, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
I suggest alcohol.

I hear that's how the pros handle it.

Ironically I've done some of my best writing after I get back from the bar. Well let me rephrase. Not best writing, but the bones are there. Editing what I've written the next morning is always fun.

I will say that this subject ran very true with me. It's always a fear of mine that my writing isn't up to par. I write motions that are scrutinized by judges all the time and I'm certainly nervous now that I'm submitting my manuscript to agents.

Lady Ice · May 31, 2013

KarmaChameleon said:
Ironically I've done some of my best writing after I get back from the bar. Well let me rephrase. Not best writing, but the bones are there. Editing what I've written the next morning is always fun.

I think it's because alcohol loosens you up. You don't keep stopping and starting because you think that your writing might not be good or 'irate' might not be the right word or the sentence feels a bit long. You just keep on writing.

kkbe · May 31, 2013

Write "I SUCK!" longhand 1000 x. You'll get sick of it, I bet. And if you don't, hey, you just wrote 2000 woids!

J.S.F. · May 31, 2013

Mr. Mask said:
I was rather confident with some of the early chapters. Now... I've gotten to a stage where I fear my skill isn't enough to make these middle chapters interesting. I'm worried about a large number of small and large details, but have no objective way of measuring if my fears are true.

Anyone else getting this? Anyone else gotten this before? Anyone else have an idea of what a writer should do, when besieged by a fear of your own writing?

---

There's always going to be a bit of uncertainty no matter whether it's the beginning, middle, or end of your story. No one gets it perfect the first time out and you shouldn't even try. What you SHOULD do is get your thoughts down first and then worry about tying it all together. If you enter into this state of uncertainty then it becomes a 'paralysis by analysis' kind of deal which WILL screw you up big time if you let it.

My advice for what it's worth is to write what you want, read it over the next day, and then think about how to fix it. If you don't write it then you'll never know.

Mare · May 31, 2013

I don't think I could function without fear

Paris Love · May 31, 2013

I'm completely confident that my writing sucks. I get up in the morning and say, "Ok, throw some crap at the wall and let's see what sticks."

If nothing else, I can at least amuse myself with the terribleness of my writing.

ETA: being a terrible writer does not preclude one from professional success as a writer, per se.

Immortal · May 31, 2013

Paris Love said:
I'm completely confident that my writing sucks. I get up in the morning and say, "Ok, throw some crap at the wall and let's see what sticks."

If nothing else, I can at least amuse myself with the terribleness of my writing.

ETA: being a terrible writer does not preclude one from professional success as a writer, per se.

Lol, I should really start looking at it this way.

Paris Love · May 31, 2013

James D. Macdonald said:
You're in the dread mid-book. The only way out is through. You'll be amazed how much better this part will read by the time you reach THE END.

Is this typical? I've written some novels (none that I'd consider publishable) and I also get bogged down in the second act of the story. In screenwriting they call this the "fun and games" portion of the story, which I don't understand, either.

I think sometimes that beginning my draft writing in the second act of a story may be the least painful way to get a book written. I'm also interested if anyone does begin writing their story in the second act? Is it an effective technique?

Since I participate in endurance sports, I apply the same kind of mindset to getting through my stories. Yep, it hurts. Yep, I'm tired. But with each step I'm that much closer to the finish line, so I just keep going. I stop caring about the quality of my performance and just focus on forward momentum.

wolfking · May 31, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
I suggest alcohol.

I hear that's how the pros handle it.

My best ideas always involve alcohol, escpecially writing fantasy.

OP, I am always worried about every word I put down.
Original = sucks
rewrite #1 = sucks less
rewrite #2 = sucks lesser

Eventually, I get to something I like. Get past the self-doubt and remember that you can always make something better. You have to start with crap first, most of the time, then mold it into something great.

WriteMinded · Jun 1, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
I suggest alcohol.

I hear that's how the pros handle it.

Alcohol has never caused me to write anything longer than a telephone number . . . and then I wished I hadn't.

Mr Flibble · Jun 1, 2013

Paris Love said:
Is this typical?

I don't know about anyone else (though plenty of writers confess to it, I'm not sure it's universal) but yes, always happens to me.

There's a graph somewhere (I expect someone with better googlefu than me can find it, although I quite like this *alternative) that starts with 'Best idea ever! It's going to outsell Twilight and Harry Potter combined!' through the 'Well, it's still pretty good' down to the mid book 'My five year old could do better' and back through to 'It doesn't suck as much as I thought it did' and 'Well, I suppose maybe I can sell it....' phases. It sounds about right to me

*My fave part of that is 'Turns out the foetal position is pretty comfortable'. Although 'tears and tequila' works too...

JDarvinWords · Jun 1, 2013

I've felt this way in my life not just about writing, but also about the music I make, the work I do, and the jokes I tell. But it's funny. At some point in the day I always look at myself and think, "Yeah...someone is going to think this is good."

SpinningWheel · Jun 1, 2013

Ha ha, that flowchart is brilliant. I like the multiple lines for all the different revisions. That's where I am at the moment.

Blinkk · Jun 1, 2013

I like that flowchart.

Any artist goes through that fear. Painters, musicians, actors, writers...it's all normal and goes hand in hand with art and creative expression.

I'm a musician for a living and I go through that every day. It's so normal.

writermike1 · Jun 1, 2013

Mr Flibble said:
I don't know about anyone else (though plenty of writers confess to it, I'm not sure it's universal) but yes, always happens to me.

There's a graph somewhere (I expect someone with better googlefu than me can find it, although I quite like this *alternative) that starts with 'Best idea ever! It's going to outsell Twilight and Harry Potter combined!' through the 'Well, it's still pretty good' down to the mid book 'My five year old could do better' and back through to 'It doesn't suck as much as I thought it did' and 'Well, I suppose maybe I can sell it....' phases. It sounds about right to me

*My fave part of that is 'Turns out the foetal position is pretty comfortable'. Although 'tears and tequila' works too...

I love that flow chart. I'm going to print it out and stick it up on the wall next to my desk, so that the next time I have a crisis of confidence, I know I won't be the only one...

Clubmonstar · Jun 1, 2013

This thread is hilarious. Saturday night and 2 glasses of wine down my neck and realised I could squeeze the day's 500 words in before The Voice started. Big Mistake. Wrote absolute crap. But I suppose if I can hardly string sentences together after a few drinks, why should I be able to type them?

One of my issues, is that my WIP is my first proper writing project, yet is an 'idea' worthy of a bestseller at least. Should I just kidnap someone to ghost write it??

Tepelus · Jun 1, 2013

Mr Flibble said:
There's a graph somewhere (I expect someone with better googlefu than me can find it, although I quite like this *alternative)

Perhaps this one is what you're thinking of?

Dark night of the soul graph.

praktikle1 · Jun 1, 2013

Mr. Mask said:
I was rather confident with some of the early chapters. Now... I've gotten to a stage where I fear my skill isn't enough to make these middle chapters interesting. I'm worried about a large number of small and large details, but have no objective way of measuring if my fears are true.

Anyone else getting this? Anyone else gotten this before? Anyone else have an idea of what a writer should do, when besieged by a fear of your own writing?

I'm hearing a lot of this on this forum...We all feel it and we all have the ability to overcome it. Don't beat yourself up. That's what I find myself doing a lot and it doesn't fix anything. The best thing to do is keep pushing. Remember.....we've accomplished a lot more than most people..... just by starting our novel.

Mr Flibble · Jun 1, 2013

Tepelus said:
Perhaps this one is what you're thinking of?

Dark night of the soul graph.

It's possible I love you

That is indeed the one. I bow to your superior memory!

This could be the tequila and tears talking....

blacbird · Jun 1, 2013

I have no fear of this. Fear was replaced long ago by hard concrete certainty.

caw

BrightSera · Jun 1, 2013

Thank you so much for this thread. I've been in a slump because all my self-doubts have been awful this last week.

P.S. I tried drinking and writing last night. I thought why not? Didn't work. I spent more time trying to focus with a buzz than actually writing.

CatharsisChild · Jun 3, 2013

Mr. Mask,

I've been through what you're experiencing as a writer, and believe me when I say that it is unpleasant. You have my sympathies. However, I must agree with what so many others before me have said.

Write until you reach the words "The End". After that, you can tear it apart, rewrite it, do whatever you feel is necessary to turn the Frankenstein monster into the Adam of your labors.

Renée A. Price · Jun 3, 2013

kuwisdelu said:
I suggest alcohol.

I hear that's how the pros handle it.

Ha! I knew I wasn't doing it the right way!

I love that flowchart! Genius!

AngieDixon · Jun 3, 2013

When this happens to me, it's usually because I'm so sick of what I'm writing. I take a short break (no more than a day) and then pick up where I left off, but this time giving myself permission to write absolute dreck if that's what it takes to finish so I can take a longer break, edit it and THEN throw it out if it's crap. Of course, once I finish it, take a break and edit it, it's never crap. I've never had to throw anything out.

Fearing That Your Writing is Terrible

is watching you via her avatar

Makes useful distinctions

Huh.

Red fish, blue fish...

What's up with the Orlando Bloom?

Lord of the Sad and Lonely

What's up with the Orlando Bloom?

From the Depths he comes

Derailed

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

sex/rage through song/dance

Searching for dragons

And so...

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Neurotic Supernova

Author of The Leoardo Trait