Yeah. Hit it and stay there. Often I feel that I'm lucky and land there, but fall off and undershoot it time and time again, then find myself on 'competent' again, but only out of luck.
I can't speak completely accurately here because I don't believe I've ever read you. You are in my world "shaolingrrl", and though I'm sure you have another name you write under, well... :) Anyway, I may have read you, but I may not have.
In any event, I can see over at your journal that you have some mighty fine writers who have faith in your writing. That indicates something to me in terms of the quality of your writing.
Besides, if we keep practicing we may break through competency, right? Please say yes, because other than the joy I get out of writing, that's one of the few things that keeps me going on the hard days :D.
Still, I would love to hear more of your thoughts on the matter, whatever they may be.
Oh, I think I'm speaking right now from the middle of a long stretch of hard days. I get a lot of "we like it but it's not quite right for us," and I get very, very tired of that. I think one of my problems as regards self-assessment is that I know so many people who are better than I am and it's very hard not to compare. For example, I'm married to one. :-} He has his own issues, but on the whole he is a very good writer with a wild imagination and a unique voice.
I just try to keep myself going by thinking about what I know I bring to my stories, and that's my own sense of wonder that I try to impart to readers, and a deep caring for my people. Unless I write a quickie about a sick and twisted bastard, which I've been known to do. :-)
But deathless prose? Ah--no.
So--I usually manage to stumble along by thinking that I have a story worth telling and nobody else can tell it. I may not tell it very well, but it deserves to be told.
I get those a lot, too. Yup. It's sad, though. I get downright excited about some of them. I take comfort in the personal rejections, especially when they're so very nice and they come from people who have a reputation for being very ... honest.
It's wonderful that you know such great writers. Though you look at them and see how great they are and compare yourself, does it still help in some ways? I often wonder... All the fine writers I know are via the 'net. (Yay for the 'net.) I know a few writers IRL, but mostly they write about their latest AD&D campaigns. The other writers I know look down on genre fiction, so I don't spend a lot of time discussing writing with them.
I think you're on to something, however. You're right -- you have got to have some great stories within you that want to be told. And maybe there won't be deathless prose, but it's only been once or twice that I've read a story and felt that it had been written by the wrong writer. (And I think part of the problem was that they were trying to write stories like someone else.) So they are yours, and are there for you to tell. (Mostly I'm just agreeing with you here ;).)
And the other thing is that I suspect that as time goes on our craft will mature and develop if we don't become complacent. Do you think?
Thanks for this. I really love talking about such writerly stuff:).
Knowing great writers is loads of fun, if nothing else. :-) But does it help my writing? Right now, I'd have to say no. Right now it's adding to the discouragement. And that's my problem.
I think I can see how it could be very discouraging. But I can also see the fun, and how nice it would be to have friends who get what you're doing :).
I hope, however, you have a great writing success soon!
Thanks for posting. It's nice reading your thoughts.
That's very true. It's especially nice to be married to somebody who understands, although we both joke that we should have found non-writers who love their day jobs to marry.
Oh yes. All writers need a spouse with a great day job, or to be independently wealthy. Or have a lovely benefactor. Or love a "minimalist" lifestyle. :)
Ah, the fantasy.
I've considered trying out some cons. Mostly the issue is finding someone to take the kids (almost 5 and almost 21 months) during the time. My husband and I actually went to one about five years ago, but I'm not sure if it was our type of con. Mostly the panels and everything were based around what was popular at the time, so there were things like "How to Write Like J.R.R. Tolkein", and a retrospective on Douglas Adams, who had just past away maybe about a year before, put together by people who hadn't read any Adams for a very, very long time. Everyone could discuss Robert Jordan, but if we mentioned Asimov, or Heinlein, or Delany, or LeGuin, or any number of fine writers, we got weird looks. There were also very large belly dancing Klingons. Oh, and a Buffy singalong. Not that this was all bad, but it just wasn't exactly our thing.
But, from what I gather, cons tend to have different foci, and I suspect there might be some that I would really enjoy.
Do you have any that you particularly enjoy, or know of any that friends of yours have liked? I have heard a lot of good things about WisCon.
Wiscon is very good. There are some others that are also known as being more for readers than media fans--one of them is named Readercon (who would have thought?). But that's on the east coast and I've never been. There's Potlatch, which moves up and down the west coast (it's in Portland this year, I think) and of course the big gun is World Fantasy.
At the larger regional cons you can usually sort of piece together your own reader's track. You'll still be wandering around amongst the dancing Klingons, outside of the panels, but that just adds spice. :-)
I had thought I'd hit competent, but I have read some of your stories, and now I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I've hit instead... Marginally functional? :)
That's a very, very kind thing to say. But I think I still have quite a ways to go. At least I hope I do.
And I was thinking, mainly, when I said I hadn't reached "competent," of how little time I seem to devote to it and how I do not yet approach my work in the craftsmanlike manner I would prefer.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-01-13 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 04:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 05:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 12:13 am (UTC)Why do I continue to bother?
Sometimes, I really don't know.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 04:45 am (UTC)In any event, I can see over at your journal that you have some mighty fine writers who have faith in your writing. That indicates something to me in terms of the quality of your writing.
Besides, if we keep practicing we may break through competency, right? Please say yes, because other than the joy I get out of writing, that's one of the few things that keeps me going on the hard days :D.
Still, I would love to hear more of your thoughts on the matter, whatever they may be.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 05:46 am (UTC)I just try to keep myself going by thinking about what I know I bring to my stories, and that's my own sense of wonder that I try to impart to readers, and a deep caring for my people. Unless I write a quickie about a sick and twisted bastard, which I've been known to do. :-)
But deathless prose? Ah--no.
So--I usually manage to stumble along by thinking that I have a story worth telling and nobody else can tell it. I may not tell it very well, but it deserves to be told.
So I guess my stories are stuck with me. :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 06:15 am (UTC)It's wonderful that you know such great writers. Though you look at them and see how great they are and compare yourself, does it still help in some ways? I often wonder... All the fine writers I know are via the 'net. (Yay for the 'net.) I know a few writers IRL, but mostly they write about their latest AD&D campaigns. The other writers I know look down on genre fiction, so I don't spend a lot of time discussing writing with them.
I think you're on to something, however. You're right -- you have got to have some great stories within you that want to be told. And maybe there won't be deathless prose, but it's only been once or twice that I've read a story and felt that it had been written by the wrong writer. (And I think part of the problem was that they were trying to write stories like someone else.) So they are yours, and are there for you to tell. (Mostly I'm just agreeing with you here ;).)
And the other thing is that I suspect that as time goes on our craft will mature and develop if we don't become complacent. Do you think?
Thanks for this. I really love talking about such writerly stuff:).
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-15 03:40 am (UTC)I hope, however, you have a great writing success soon!
Thanks for posting. It's nice reading your thoughts.
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Date: 2007-01-15 04:03 am (UTC)Can you ever get to any conventions?
no subject
Date: 2007-01-16 02:59 am (UTC)Ah, the fantasy.
I've considered trying out some cons. Mostly the issue is finding someone to take the kids (almost 5 and almost 21 months) during the time. My husband and I actually went to one about five years ago, but I'm not sure if it was our type of con. Mostly the panels and everything were based around what was popular at the time, so there were things like "How to Write Like J.R.R. Tolkein", and a retrospective on Douglas Adams, who had just past away maybe about a year before, put together by people who hadn't read any Adams for a very, very long time. Everyone could discuss Robert Jordan, but if we mentioned Asimov, or Heinlein, or Delany, or LeGuin, or any number of fine writers, we got weird looks. There were also very large belly dancing Klingons. Oh, and a Buffy singalong. Not that this was all bad, but it just wasn't exactly our thing.
But, from what I gather, cons tend to have different foci, and I suspect there might be some that I would really enjoy.
Do you have any that you particularly enjoy, or know of any that friends of yours have liked? I have heard a lot of good things about WisCon.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-16 05:06 pm (UTC)At the larger regional cons you can usually sort of piece together your own reader's track. You'll still be wandering around amongst the dancing Klingons, outside of the panels, but that just adds spice. :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 03:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 04:48 am (UTC)I really don't know how to respond to this.
I had thought I'd hit competent, but I have read some of your stories, and now I'm beginning to wonder what exactly I've hit instead... Marginally functional? :)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 07:25 pm (UTC)And I was thinking, mainly, when I said I hadn't reached "competent," of how little time I seem to devote to it and how I do not yet approach my work in the craftsmanlike manner I would prefer.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-15 03:42 am (UTC)As for your thoughts concerning reaching competent, I understand what you're saying, and this makes a lot of sense.
Thanks so much, Haddayr. I appreciate your insight, and you taking the time to share your thoughts. It means a lot.
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Date: 2007-01-14 03:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-14 04:11 pm (UTC)We should form a club. It may become one of the largest organizations in the world :).
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Date: 2007-01-14 10:46 pm (UTC)if you can hit competent, there's no reason you can't go up from there.
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Date: 2007-01-15 03:43 am (UTC)Ah, I hope you're right. Today competence, tomorrow the world!
Thanks for stopping by!