What makes certain stories shine (yours or others) in your eyes? What do you look for in a story? What draws you to read certain stories or certain writers? Emotional authenticity, I think. It's the "write what you know" thing, but on an emotional level. People who connect back to the characters on an emotional level, so that reactions feel like they're coming from a real place. I'm also a fan of straight-up good writing, simple word choices, a light touch. I don't have a light touch myself, I know that, I have the touch of a million hammers, so I admire lightly-written but powerful work. Spareness.
Does anybody else get this crash after finishing a big or otherwise important (to you) story? Does anybody know why it happens? LOL YES. So far I've felt this mostly with fanfiction. I didn't feel it so much when I finished my original first draft, not as much. SO now I wonder if it's related to writing serially in public for me. I don't know! I feel it terribly with fanfiction. I mourn a story when I'm done with it, because I can never go back. Maybe because so few people have seen the original fiction first draft, and because I know I have to go back to it and learn how to edit properly, and I know I will go back, but I don't feel it noticeably at all with original fiction. I don't feel like I'm saying goodbye to those people yet. Probably because I do in fact have a ton more work to do there. I guess I don't really have first drafts in fanfiction. I just write and post. It feels great to do that, but it's really DONE once it's posted like that. There's no going back.
Does anybody else wonder why they do this and feel like they've just ripped off their skin and are waiting for the world's approval/approvation/rejection/indifference every time they post something? Hahaha! Hmmmm not really. I mean, I'm curious about reaction when I post, and I love to see reaction (as a human being, kind of inevitable), but I don't think I feel as vulnerable about it as some people do. But that's probably related to the identity question. At the moment, honestly, if I write something that I really love, and it goes out into the world and other people love it too, that's gratifying, but I have written other things that have been far less loved and I'm okay with that too. I enjoy the process too much to wish those stories away. I learned from them, I enjoyed them. Mostly that's enough, frankly.
I used to be terrified of concrit though. Truly terrified. It made my stomach turn. I think I had too many eggs in that basket, like my value as a human being was caught up in that particular piece of writing. I've been breaking through that in recent years, partially because I'm just older, I suspect, and because I love my job and I'm pretty good at it, and because I've come back around to writing again not because I need it to fulfill me or justify my existence, but because I just honestly enjoy it.
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What makes certain stories shine (yours or others) in your eyes? What do you look for in a story? What draws you to read certain stories or certain writers?
Emotional authenticity, I think. It's the "write what you know" thing, but on an emotional level. People who connect back to the characters on an emotional level, so that reactions feel like they're coming from a real place. I'm also a fan of straight-up good writing, simple word choices, a light touch. I don't have a light touch myself, I know that, I have the touch of a million hammers, so I admire lightly-written but powerful work. Spareness.
Does anybody else get this crash after finishing a big or otherwise important (to you) story? Does anybody know why it happens? LOL
YES. So far I've felt this mostly with fanfiction. I didn't feel it so much when I finished my original first draft, not as much. SO now I wonder if it's related to writing serially in public for me. I don't know! I feel it terribly with fanfiction. I mourn a story when I'm done with it, because I can never go back. Maybe because so few people have seen the original fiction first draft, and because I know I have to go back to it and learn how to edit properly, and I know I will go back, but I don't feel it noticeably at all with original fiction. I don't feel like I'm saying goodbye to those people yet. Probably because I do in fact have a ton more work to do there. I guess I don't really have first drafts in fanfiction. I just write and post. It feels great to do that, but it's really DONE once it's posted like that. There's no going back.
Does anybody else wonder why they do this and feel like they've just ripped off their skin and are waiting for the world's approval/approvation/rejection/indifference every time they post something?
Hahaha! Hmmmm not really. I mean, I'm curious about reaction when I post, and I love to see reaction (as a human being, kind of inevitable), but I don't think I feel as vulnerable about it as some people do. But that's probably related to the identity question. At the moment, honestly, if I write something that I really love, and it goes out into the world and other people love it too, that's gratifying, but I have written other things that have been far less loved and I'm okay with that too. I enjoy the process too much to wish those stories away. I learned from them, I enjoyed them. Mostly that's enough, frankly.
I used to be terrified of concrit though. Truly terrified. It made my stomach turn. I think I had too many eggs in that basket, like my value as a human being was caught up in that particular piece of writing. I've been breaking through that in recent years, partially because I'm just older, I suspect, and because I love my job and I'm pretty good at it, and because I've come back around to writing again not because I need it to fulfill me or justify my existence, but because I just honestly enjoy it.
Interesting questions!!