Infatuation with your own writing?

[juanal.livejournal.com]

So I tend to become very infatuated with anything that I write, to the point where I read it over and over again because I am so in love with it. Does that happen to any of you? I know that my writing isn't all that great, I can't spell worth a damn, and my grammar is horrible, and I really need some work on my creative writing as well as well as my discriptive prose, but it doesn't matter, when I actually get myself to put something on paper (or in ones and zeros) I fall in love with it and can reread it like I do with some of my favorate authors works (you should see how many times I have reread PastWatch by Orson Scott Card, or maybe you shouldn't). Anyways, sometimes this infatuation affects my ability to accept criticism, even the contructive variety, of my work. So what I really want to know from this writerly group, is do any of you suffer from the same problem, and if so what do you do to get past it, because I really think I need to learn to do that?

Comments

[annathepiper]

There are bits of my writing that I do love to go back and re-read, yeah--though generally those wind up being my favorite scenes where I'm trying to set up the chemistry between whoever happens to be the romantic lead in the story in question. :)

And I've definitely experienced that feeling of "zomg all these words are perfect and I couldn't POSSIBLY mess with them!" So far the best advice I've had on that score is that, as soon as I finish a book, to let it sit for at least six weeks and not do anything with it, including looking at it. This is to help me get distance from the words so that when I come back to them, I can view them more objectively and be better able to polish them up. It's helped me a lot.

Having a great set of beta readers who are willing to point blank tell me when they think I've screwed up something also helps. I've had my share of fighting down grumpy reactions to such things, sure, and it does take practice to be able to take a step back and think "okay, they're not just saying this to be snotty, they're actually trying to help me improve my work". Then I can try to think about whatever issue it is and see if I can see where they're coming from. I've had a few fabulous conversations with mamishka, for example, along these very lines.

It also helps to remind myself that it's great practice in case I actually sell something, at which point I'll be having these sorts of conversations with editors, too. ;)

[mnemozine.livejournal.com]

I have done this with pieces I've written in the past. I go back to them and am very impressed with myself that I wrote them.

The best way, imo, to move past this is just to keep putting your work out there. At first you're insulted, then you see where someone might be coming from, and then you're steel-plated because you know when your work is really good and when it needs improvement no matter what feedback someone has given to you. ;)