[KatG]

We get a lot of folk here worrying about how awful their draft ms. are, which invariably leads to the rest of us explaining how everyone is dealing with awful, and me trotting out author Patricia Wrede's explanation of how she outlines her work, and the scale she and other authors use about how awful they feel about their book at any time during writing.

But what was really missing were visual aides. So what I have is a graph by all around nice guy, satiric fantasy writer Jim C. Hines (Goblin Quest, The Stepsister Scheme,) on this very subject. And in doing it, he was alerted to a similar graph done a couple of years ago by Maureen McHugh, a terrific, award-winning SF author (Nekropolis, Mission Child,) who it has been my privilege to work with in the past.

So here are the links to that, since I am not able to embed in the forums unfortunately. And if anyone knows of other, similar examples of published authors explaining why the work they love is also the work they think sucks, you can put them up here.

http://jimhines.livejournal.com/462126.html
http://maureenmcq.blogspot.com/2007/07/i-can-always-fix-it-later.html

[kissmequick]

Nice graphs - I recognise that all too well!

Sadly I'm right in the middle of 'this sucks'. Actually I think I'm at 'this sucks huge big hairy donkey balls with added cheesy bits'

But I think that helps ( yeah I know, sounds stoopid) because it forces me to think what is wrong and fix it. Better thinking you suck, and being able to fix it, than having golden word syndrome.

[Holbrook]

Drafts should suck. It is when you have slaved over a manuscript for months, if not years, and it still sucks that is when it is a "balls breaker"!:eek:

Presently I keep thinking my current effort is as boring as hard cheese for dinner.(I was going to say another word but thought I would be polite)

[kmtolan]

My first drafts are what I refer to as a literary regurgitation. Of course it is terrible. That's the idea - you just worry about disgorging your story onto a chapter outline and that's about it.

Kerry

[Laer Carroll]

This is absolutely not my experience. I always know what I write is good - OR CAN BE MADE BETTER. And I know how to make it better, and know that I know it. So I go merrily along, writing and loving the process of writing.

The difference between me and these other people, perhaps, is that I'm not a novice. I've written software professionally for 40 years, and there several important ways that the two processes are similar. Also, for the last 20 years, working for quite good money at NASA and Boeing, about a fifth of my time was spent writing all sorts of technical documents, short and really huge (as part of a team) because "You are so good with words, Laer."

One technique that I (and many other writers) use is especially helpful in keeping up your confidence. Get into the habit of doing most of your critiquing AFTER you finish a short story, or several chapters of long works. And before you critique a finished work, PUT IT ASIDE for a good long while. Work on other stuff until you have gotten enough distance from the finished work to be objective.

Then when you come back to it you will be amazed and happy at how good is most of what you wrote. And likely you will see, without pain or surprise, just what the problems are. And likely you will have a good idea of how to fix it. And you will have no time to spend on being depressed or angry; you will be too busy fixing problems.

Laer Carroll

[Dawnstorm]

But... but... Maureen McHugh is a great writer, whereas I... I could be right...

The thing is, I've just finished reading Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea, and it puts character over plot and it suggests a typical solution but you don't get that, and it's great at setting up a complex relationship structure... And then I look at my current mess and think that's what I've been trying for... Well, I'll have to be trying harder with the edits, then. (I need to do better with the ending, too. It feels a bit rushed, now. Well, it was a writing frenzy...)

In any case, Maureen McHugh is a great writer, as far as I can judge from two shorts I've read ("Lincoln Train", "The Cost of Being Wise"). Apologies to Hines for not mentioning him, but I haven't yet read any of his stuff.

[kissmequick]

Then when you come back to it you will be amazed and happy at how good is most of what you wrote. And likely you will see, without pain or surprise, just what the problems are. And likely you will have a good idea of how to fix it. And you will have no time to spend on being depressed or angry; you will be too busy fixing problems.

Laer Carroll


Luckily I get that too

But I like ( well kinda) the OMG IT SUCKS stage. Stops me getting complacent about how good my writing is.

Complacency has stopped me reading many a writer who started off so well, then got lazy. I do not wish this to happen to me.

Always strive to be better.

[Hereford Eye]

Me, too! I go merrily along, writing and loving the process of writing. The difference between me and these other people is that I'm lazy. I lack the discipline to re-write and improve. When I'm finished; I'm finished.

[Sticktator]

I'm very surprised to learn that most other writers go through this...

I've never got past the 25,000 words mark because I've thought my work was an absolute waste of time.

I hate to glean happiness from others' dismay, but knowing that other writers feel awful at that point makes me happy. :P

[KatG]

That was the point of the thread, Sticktator. I hope it gives you inspiration to keep going.