Writing and reading

[azziria]

A question for those of you on my flist who are writers: how much (or how often) do you re-read your own stories? Is it a write-post-forget thing for you, or do you often read through your own back catalogue?

Personally, because I write what I want to read, I quite often go back and read my older stuff. What's good is that I'm often pleasantly surprised at how good I find it, or I find a passage or turn of phrase that makes me think "Did I really write that? Because it's really quite good...". I guess that's because time gives me some objectivity and distance and the chance to appreciate the writing when I'm not totally wrapped up in the creation process.

So... post and forget, or re-read?

Comments

[wickedtruth.livejournal.com]

I do re-read, but mostly by accident - that is that I will go to amend or correct something and sometimes I have to read a few paragraphs to find what I'm looking for. It's not something that I would go back to do otherwise, because I tend to see flaws, rather than anything else (even the bits I think are OK seem to always be overshadowed by the flaws around them).

I don't tend to cringe when I have to re-read though, so I guess that's progress...?

[azziria.livejournal.com]

The not-cringing is definitely progress, m'dear - although of course there is nothing to cringe at in your fic, as I know I've mentioned before... *hugs*