stuff and nonsense, really

[pensnest]

Yesterday, I discovered that my cat likes goat's cheese. She got extremely excited as I was cutting up pieces for the salad, and my assurance that kittens don't like cheese was met with insistence that she WANTED IT. And she got embarrassingly enthusiastic with the end of my finger when I offered her some. Oh well. I spose it is not unreasonable for a cat to like goat's cheese.

Later, she investigated a discarded bowl containing the remnants of my dinner, and made off with a piece of roasted butternut squash rind. It has not, so far as I can discern, reappeared anywhere, in any form. I am nonetheless perturbed. I do not feel cats should volunteer to eat butternut squash rind.



I like reading my own stories.

I write stories that I like, it seems reasonable that sometimes I read them, with pleasure. But it doesn't seem to work that way for everyone. I'm frequently surprised that authors whose stories I enjoy don't like re-reading their own work. Indeed, it baffles me.

If you write, do you read your own stories for pleasure, ever?

Comments

[trumpeterofdoom.livejournal.com]

I can only think of one story that I have written that I like reading. Everything else makes me cringe on subsequent reads.

Interestingly, it's not just for fic, but I'm the same with academic essays too. I hate reading the majority of the ones I've written for uni, with the exception of like, two. But when it comes to lj posts, more often than not I like reading my past posts.

ETA: I should clarify that when I read my own stuff, I always remember how hard it was to write it. And writing is always, always painful for me. I write because I have something to say, but the process is just excruciating. Posts on the other hand, I enjoy writing them. It's the coding I don't like.

[pensnest]

I seldom remember much about how I wrote something - occasionally there's a wistful I was going for something else memory, but mostly, when the words are there, they *are* the story, and I don't remember what might have been. And writing doesn't come hard—starting to write comes hard, but not the actual words.

I can see it wouldn't be noticeable fun to re-read something that was painful to produce.

[sperrywink]

I totally read my own stories for pleasure. I write the stories I want to read in a style that speaks to me, and I find them easy to "fall into" as stories.

I appreciate this aspect of my stories because sometimes when I just can't find a good story that hits the spot, my own stories will work.

In conclusion, cats are totally weird.

[pensnest]

I'm glad it's not just me! There are times when I remember a scene, or even a phrase, from something I wrote, and I go back to it. And generally speaking I do like my own style, too.

Cats, yes. Who can tell, really...

[puszysty.livejournal.com]

I read my own stories occassionally, after it's been a while at least. I often can't believe I actually wrote something decent, lol, so it's like reading someone else's work almost.

[pensnest]

It's nice to rediscover what's nice about our own writing, I think. Particularly when we've forgotten the story!

[adorkable08.livejournal.com]

All the time. Everything. You might say I'm a little self obsessed, but mostly after I've written it, I remove myself from it. In weeks or months I can go back and think 'I made a great point, there' and "oh I like how I put that, I need to remember to 'do whatever I did' more. I can also more easily, unfortunately, see weak spots and typos, things I sometimes can't see when I'm all wrapped up in something. When I write, I typically write until I am falling asleep, put it away, sleep on it, then after a day or two pick it up again. I almost need to have an out of body experience to think it's any good. WHILE I'm writing it, I feel like it's crap.

I haven't been writing long, but I wrote something very early on and I had to delete it. I was so disgusted with myself, it was awful, I didn't even want to look at it, just try to improve.

I've also gone back and reread my LJ from start to current (but I've only been on LJ a year) and I have gone back on message boards I'm on and reread my posts. It's not that I'm conceited, it's that I'm pretty hard on myself and it's nice to go back and be able to pat myself on the head and say 'see, you're not stupid and talentless, your words don't tumble over themselves and you don't sound like an idiot. Just knock it off'.

I have a couple of stories I've written that I am pretty proud of-- they're not literary masterpieces or anything but I rather impressed myself with how well I wrote them... I read them often, especially when I am feeling like I suck-- which is usually after I've read something by someone who is just........so great at writing. I get depressed if I don't cheer myself up, lol.

[pensnest]

It's most irritating spotting typos and unfortunate phrases and such... especially when the story is somewhere where you can't do anything about it. Though in truth, I don't tend to edit for weakness, I figure the story stays as it was written, mostly.

Good idea to go back over the evidence when you need to!

[rikes]

I usually like rereading stuff I've written, like most LJ posts, comments, essays etc. But the only fic I've written was those Lynncest drabbles, and I haven't looked at them since. I think I squicked myself. But if it was something else, I think I would!

[pensnest]

Ah well, Lynncest drabbles are understandably too scary to revisit!

BTW, and totally off topic - mug? Did you want one, and if so, do you have a favourite pic? Or would you like to nominate a boy/pairing for it?

[rikes]

Right, the mug. I've been meaning to send you pictures, but it's just so very hard to pick, and I keep thinkin about what would work and what not. I'll go and look at some pictures right now, and if I don't find anything, I'll let you choose. :)

[rikes]

Okay, these are a couple of my favourite pictures, but I don't know how well they would work. Feel free to pick a picture yourself, you know which boys I like the best. :) Well, I love them all, so you really can't go wrong.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a216/rikes/juc/mcd01.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a216/rikes/justin/JT6120-20PhotoshootBW.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a216/rikes/justin/255077.jpg

Thank you again! And if you don't have time before Camp Sparkle, no worries. :)

[milosflaca.livejournal.com]

Pen, you should never give dairy to a cat. It's very bad for them.

I used to give my cat yogurt, because she liked it lots, until the vet told me that I was hurting her stomach. I thought he was just scolding me just because, but then I ended up reading a couple of articles on the matter in several magazines. Including National Geographic.
Doesn't matter how much she begs, don't give any dairy to your cat :P

ETA: as for reading my own stories,... mmmm Well, I don't do it. Because more often than not I don't like what I write :P

[pensnest]

Does it count as dairy if it is goat's rather than cow's milk? Honest question - I don't know. Not that she gets this stuff as a general rule.

I always find it interesting when authors don't like what they write. Puzzling, too, maybe... :-)

Your icon is adorable.

[milosflaca.livejournal.com]

I asked the same to the vet but according to him and the magazines, no dairy products at all.
No yogurt, no Milk (unless it's branded as Cat's Milk), no cheese etc.

also.... mmm (I don't know the word in english for this products)...Anyway it's also hurtful to give them Ham, Salami, sausages etc. Not as bad as Milk. I will look up the magazine and try to scan it for you (It's in English).

I always find it interesting when authors don't like what they write. Puzzling, too, maybe..
Well, most people ask me about this. But the same happens with my drawings. It's very rare when after finishing a fic I feel like reading it.
For example in my last Sesa I wrote this story for a person who gave me a most interesting prompt that basically inspired me to write a murder-story. (You can read it here)

I was satisfied with the way the story ended. Seriously. I was beaming and very surprised that I could write such a story (and even more shocked that people, besides the recipient liked it).
Problem was that when I re read it, I found so many things that I wanted to change that I ended closing the Safari window, feeling all angry with myself.
Maybe it is because I always demand of myself way too much (especially when I compare my writing with other fics of amazing writers), but in any case I end up telling myself that this or that could have been written in a different way and so on.

So no. I think it's not good for me to re read my stories. Even if I like bits of it.

Then again I'll always remember a person who was a film director that told me "A piece of art is never really finished. It's the artist who decides when to let go" Or something like that.
I'm not saying my fics are pieces of art *laughs at the idea* but certainly as it is part of a creative process, I guess there's no way of telling if a scene (once it has been edited, corrected and so on) can be rewritten in a different way. I don't know if I explained myself :P

In any case, that's what happens, yes :)

[pensnest]

I should think the processed meat products may well have too much salt in them. But Socks has been conditioned to understand that she doesn't get to eat those things, so we're okay there.

I think I feel about my artworks the way you feel about your stories! I've never done a drawing I was really, really happy with, I don't think. I just have, eventually, to let them go.

[without-me.livejournal.com]

I haven't done it recently, but yes, I reread and enjoy my own writing. More often than not, it's co-writing, but even when it isn't, the same principle holds true.

Some cats like a surprising variety of vegetables. As long as the squash doesn't seem to be disagreeing with her, I say let her scavenge!

[pensnest]

The funny thing is, the cat has never shown an interest in vegetables before, except for the occasional chewing of grass. But she's a pretty sturdy little mog.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who enjoys her own stories!

[epicflailer.livejournal.com]

um, i'm not sure if this would be classified as lazy writing, but i hardly ever get my stuff beta-d, and usually i don't do more than a quick onceover before i post? it's only after posting that i start compulsively reading the story over and over and from there i keep combing through it trying to fix things i don't like. bwah!

on a whole, though, i do usually enjoy reading what i've written. sometimes i think put in the hands of a more capable writer i would have enjoyed the experience more, but generally i find that i do write what i want to read, though not always as successfully as other people do! :D

[pensnest]

It's always good that there are other people who miraculously manage to write the stories we want to read! But I'm glad you enjoy your own, too. I wondered if I was the only one who'd admit to it!

[chrismm.livejournal.com]

The only 'people food' my cat will eat (besides the water out of the tuna cans, which hardly counts) is Barbara's Bakery Shredded Spoonfuls breakfast cereal--and he LOVES it. I eat dry cereal sort of like miniature crackers, and he will eat that particular brand out of my bowl if I don't keep a close eye on it. Dork.

Chicken? Beef? Pizza? Fish? No way. Breakfast cereal? He's all over it. So, I dunno, butternut squash rind doesn't seem that far out to me. :D

[pensnest]

A naturally wholesome-inclined cat—very odd! They are perverse little creatures.

[nopseud]

One of our cat's likes bran flakes. Once, she broke into the cupboard, and dragged out a box of bran flakes with sultanas in. She ate some of the bran flakes, and spat the sultanas out into a neat, if soggy, heap on the floor.

Mind you, the same cat begs for cake, and loves lemon drizzle cake, so there you go. Cats are strange.

[pensnest]

We had a dog which would eat everything except peas - these would be sucked clean of gravy and left in the dog bowl.

[stellamira]

By the time I post a story, most of the time I've read it so often that I think it sucks no matter if it's good or not. But occasionally I check out my fiction tag and read some of the older things, and I mostly do enjoy them. Except for the really old stuff, that makes me wince. If only because my English's gotten better and I find all those little embarrassing mistakes.

[pensnest]

I've certainly had the experience—usually with SeSa or some other challenge with a deadline—of reading my story so often I cannot bear to look at it again. But I get over it, eventually!

I can see that improvements in your language skills would make a big difference.

[nopseud]

I love rereading my stories. I tend to read them most right after I've posted them, and then over time I read them less and less. But then it's fun to go back to something a long time later and read it again, having forgotten bits of it. I'll always correct or rewrite bits, too, if I decide I want to change them.

I never really worry about what our cats eat. They go outside every day, anyway, where they could be eating God knows what. Tinned catfood is a pretty recent invention, after all, and before that cats just ate table scraps and whatever they could catch.

[pensnest]

I'm glad to hear it. I always think it's a shame when authors don't enjoy reading their own stuff.

I think our cat is getting more adventurous in her middle age (a bit like me, really). Or possibly, just greedy. Though she doesn't tend to eat what she catches...

[turps33.livejournal.com]

One of Milo's favourite things is chilli crisps. He won't touch other flavours but the hotter things are the better. He also likes cereal and bread. He's a weirdo.

As for re reading my own stories. I do it sometimes. I mean, I write what I like. Plus it's always good to go back and read something you'd forgotten about and think, this is actually good.

[pensnest]

I suppose cats are just as entitled to have individual quirks as humans are. (I knew a human once who wouldn't eat anything that was not covered in so-hot-it-melts-china lime pickle. *shrug*)

It's particularly nice to re-read something you wrote quite a while ago, and enjoy it, I think.

[ephemera.livejournal.com]

clearly your cat has most excellent taste :D

(I can't re-read my own stories in anything but editor mode)

[pensnest]

It's strange, though, for she has been a complete carnivore until now.

I imagine being in editor mode must rather reduce the possible enjoyment factor!

[adelate]

I totally read my own stuff. Most of the time I find myself kind of hilarious as well, ahahaha. If I'm not gonna laugh at it, who will, huh? ;) There are always things I wish I would have done better/differently, but for the most part I enjoy reading my own fic. :)

[pensnest]

Good. I think I feel that way too - if I don't think it's funny as a reader, why did I write it that way?

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

How in the world did I miss this post?

ANYWAY, Yes, I absolutely re-read my own work. It's like others have said: I write what I like. I think my own case is a touch strange, in that I like multiple, disparate things...and then write them all together, like Popslash in superhero or supernatural AUs. It's rare to find anyone else who writes the same sorts of AUs, usually the superpowers are more of a "weird things happen in Pop" as opposed to an AU where our favorite boys ARE superheroes or whatever, so I greatly enjoy re-reading my own work simply because they're stories I want to read, and almost nobody else writes them. On the other hand, I love those few rare other stories that qualify even more, because I *don't* know them backwards and forwards from having written them myself. And on someone else's hand, I do generally enjoy re-reading my other stuff, too, SeSas and my non-Pop stuff, whatever. I do indeed like my own stories.