Here's a question

[delphipsmith]

Every so often I go on a binge of re-reading my own fics. And almost every time, I end up thinking the same thing: "These are pretty good. But...did I really write these??" In other words, it feels like I'm reading someone else's work. It's a little unnerving. I can't quite figure it out.

So, for those of you who write fanfic, do you go back and re-read your own old stories? How often? Is there a particular concatenation of circumstances that causes you to do so? How does it make you feel when you do? How do you find that you react to them -- do they feel like your own work or someone else's?

Now, for those of you who also write original fic: same questions.

Comments

[laralee88.livejournal.com]

I very rarely ever go back to read anything I’ve written, with the exception of stories that are currently in progress. If that’s the case I’ll go back and re-read a few chapters in order to establish tone and pace for the next chapter.

It’s very difficult for me to read anything thing that I have completed for the simple fact that I know I will find something in them that needs changing. I am one of those terribly self-conscious writers that fret over every single word that is put on paper. Going back to re-read something tends to feed the flames of doubt for me. That being said, though, I will sometimes look at my very early stuff whenever I get the feeling that I have no business playing in this sandbox.

I’ve only been writing as a hobby for a little under four years now, and in some of my earlier stories you could tell that I was very new to the whole fan fiction scene (back when it was a struggle for me to get five hundred words per chapter). I am nowhere near where I want to be in terms of writing ability or honest-to-goodness storytelling, but I can say with some confidence that I have come a long way since January of 2012. So when I re-read it’s usually one of those this is where you were, and this is where you are now moments. If anything, I’d say my stories serve as a map of sorts of how I’ve grown as a writer, with each piece getting progressively stronger in terms of plot, style, and overall quality.