How to be satisfied with your work?

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Staggeringmind
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How to be satisfied with your work?

Post by Staggeringmind »

Hello,
I'm trying to write for a long time. I wrote 4 years back, even completed a novel which was bad, and when it got rejected, I stopped. I want to start again, and I have lots of ideas but whenever I put it down, it seems so unsatisfactory. I could not translate the scenes in my head into words on paper. They always fall very short - the structure, the image formation, something seems missing. I'm writing complex short stories about human condition and meaning of life, and whenever I read other works, my writing seems so petty in comparison, while my idea seems quite well. I'm not doing justice with the plot. How could I make a story happen?
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ShelbyJae
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Post by ShelbyJae »

It sounds like you just need practice. The best thing to do would be to start simple. Go outside with a paper and pencil and find a place to sit. Now look around and describe the place you are in so much detail that if someone else were to read it, they would not only know where you were, but how everything in the scene made you feel. For instance, "a storm was fast approaching" doesn't grab a readers attention as well as, "Heavy clouds loomed overhead, blotting out the sun as they edged ever closer with the threat of rain". Don't underestimate your descriptions of settings as they have the ability to convey emotion in a very powerful way. Best of luck!
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DATo
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Post by DATo »

I don't think any conscientious writer is ever satisfied with his or her work. I have never been entirely happy with anything I've ever written. I always feel I could have done a better job of it. Some things I've written are better than others but on the whole I don't think I've ever written anything I've been entirely happy with. The fact that you acknowledge your dissatisfaction with your writing is actually a good thing in my opinion because you are aware that there is room for improvement.

ShelbyJae (above) offers some good advice. Using this example as a basis to work from one might take it to the next level by describing Shelby's storm in metaphorical terms, such as the approach of a charging mass of knights. You could describe them robed in colors of black, dark grays, dark greens, and purples (the clouds). Lightning could be described as the flashing of their swords; thunder, the crashing of their horses hooves. It all starts with HOW YOU YOURSELF FEEL when confronted with an approaching storm. Obviously one is rooted to one place as the storm approaches or trying desperately to get away much like people trying to avoid a calvary charge. Then ask yourself how you felt whenever you'd been in such circumstances and apply it to the metaphor you are writing. The disappearance of the sunlight could be described as the shadows cast by the thundering horde. etc.

Writing can be fun and one can certainly have fun in the process of improving. I don't think there was ever a writer born who did not feel they could do a better job. The ones who lack that attitude probably aren't worth reading anyway.
“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”
― Steven Wright
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Staggeringmind
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Post by Staggeringmind »

Hello, thanks for your advice. If you don't mind, can I share something I just wrote keeping your advices in mind, and will you please critique and tell me where I'm going wrong?
Adhen Surrain
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Post by Adhen Surrain »

Be creative, look forward for what you did. Looking ahead is good but not satisfying for own work is bad. So we must be positive.
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Wasif Ahmed
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

There are usually two types of people in this world- one who thinks that his work is just awesome and others who think it is the worst in the world. Authors are the worst critics of their work. Even if your book was rejected you can get it published on Amazon and use the reviews provided by people there to make an outstanding book while also making some money. Hope this was useful. :)
When people say you've changed, it just means that you have stopped living your life, their way.
Adhen Surrain
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Post by Adhen Surrain »

Wasif i am agreed with you. It is helpful.
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Jasmine M Wardiya
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Post by Jasmine M Wardiya »

I guess if you can look at it after a year of collecting dust and it's still a good read? Before that, I'd say it's a case of being blind to fault, and letting things simmer is a good way to restart your mind and perspective, so to speak. If other writers I respect say they like it is another way...but I'd hope to get feedback from them as well, otherwise I'd worry they're simply saying it for the sake of...well, saying it. On the other had, you don't have to be proud of a piece for others to enjoy it, nor does every piece you're proud of guaranteed to have fans. In that setting, I guess it comes down to who you write/publish for: yourself or your audience, and those who have different ways of looking at the quality of your work.
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DiverseSpirit
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Post by DiverseSpirit »

In 2012 I was enrolled in a Gothic Literature class. The professor was amazing! I had fun learning about various writings of vampires, metaphoric death, the Suicide Forest, etc.

He invited Stephen King's biographer to our class. (I forget his name! I think it was Albert Rolls.) I brought the biography book to class and had him sign it.

The main thing this biographer mentioned about his writing was setting up prescribed times to write. For example, some days he would write two times a day for 30 minutes. Or, he would write 2 to 4 hours in one day. I think that is a great suggestion I would give to you to feel that satisfaction. He was straight-forward with his writing life and he worked hard. Plus, writing is a time-consuming task.

I met an author at a book signing in a Barnes and Noble. Her name was Libba Bray. She was talking about her book, The Diviners. I even got that book signed. Her writing life sounded a little unstable because she was always trying to get hired to write something. Her book, The Diviners, was written after 4 years of research. This is logical because she had to use those 4 years to understand the decade she was writing about. Again, time-consuming.

To be satisfied with your work:
-Accept the challenge.
-Assign yourself homework.
-Expect it to be time-consuming.
Netgirl
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Post by Netgirl »

Just continue writing is really the only way to get better. The first draft of a story is just that, a draft. Don't worry about how it sounds or how it looks. You can always go back and edit it later. Get down your story, save it, and then just set it to the side for a while. Say a week or two before you go back in and re-read it. Once you've given it time to stew for a bit it's the perfect time to go back in and make any corrections/rewrite certain sections you're not satisfied with.

And if you're worried about improving, usually having at least another person with a higher level of writing skill than you read it can give you valuable feedback. If you can't find someone like that, just having a close friend or someone you trust to be honest with you read what you wrote helps too. You can ask them questions like how the story makes them feel, what do they get out of it, do they feel it could be better, etc? You're going to want to look for constructive criticism. Improving your writing skill is a journey, it's never something that you can sit down and be 'satisfied' with, but constantly improve over a lifetime. But you should also enjoy what you're writing too.
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Wasif Ahmed
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Adhen Surrain wrote:Wasif i am agreed with you. It is helpful.
You are welcome Adhen Surrain.
When people say you've changed, it just means that you have stopped living your life, their way.
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Post by Mys »

If it makes you feel better I feel that way about my own work. I love my own work but I am not confident that others would, so you are not alone
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JessieMarie84
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Post by JessieMarie84 »

Is a real writer ever satisfied with their work when it's completed? I know I never am. I self-published three years ago. In the last year, I retired those titles from Create Space and KDP. I had worked so hard on the first of three titles in the series. Two years of sweat, blood, and tears mixed with depression before I finished that first title. Even today, with the time I have spent rewriting it over and over, I'm still not satisfied with it. So much so that I have never submitted to a publisher or agent to see if there is someone else besides me and my one friend, who has read it, likes it. Maybe it's not so much as being satisfied but more so of not being confident enough to think others will truly love the work we have done.
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Randomgold
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Post by Randomgold »

How do you be satisfied with your work? The simple answer is: You don't. The long answer is:

Get other people to read the things you write. Not just one or two, but several. The more the better. When most of them are satisfied (because, let's face it, you're never going to please everyone no matter how good a writer you are), then you can be mostly satisfied. Doesn't mean you should finish working on it, but still. Satisfaction in a story for me doesn't necessarily mean it's ready for publishing, just that you're either on the right track, or you're really close.
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mhawki36
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Post by mhawki36 »

The only way I can possibly get words out on a page is by simply writing or typing away with no editing until I reach a "milestone". By "milestone" I mean the end of a paragraph, a full page, or a chapter... depending on the size of the work. Then, I do not proofread for hours or even up to a full day. Then, when I return with fresh eyes I can actually edit without being as hard on myself.

I have also noticed that I do write better with paper and pen than I do on the computer. I write slower than I type, and that allows me to really think about my word choice. I also see it as less easy to edit, which forces me to accept my writing more without the constant desire to "backspace" every last letter.

Also, I tend to read things similar to what I want to write about in hopes that I can use several other examples combined to produce something that is all my own. I do not mean copying; but I do mean pulling words or ideas from other works to incorporate into my own. Occasionally the opposite helps just as well; reading works entirely different to what I am trying to write in order to refrain from feeling lesser in comparison to other authors.

Once you find what truly works go for it! We can often be our own worst critic. Find someone willing to check out your work and give you honest feedback. Don't let yourself get in the way of producing something great!

-- 29 Dec 2016, 21:35 --

The only way I can possibly get words out on a page is by simply writing or typing away with no editing until I reach a "milestone". By "milestone" I mean the end of a paragraph, a full page, or a chapter... depending on the size of the work. Then, I do not proofread for hours or even up to a full day. Then, when I return with fresh eyes I can actually edit without being as hard on myself.

I have also noticed that I do write better with paper and pen than I do on the computer. I write slower than I type, and that allows me to really think about my word choice. I also see it as less easy to edit, which forces me to accept my writing more without the constant desire to "backspace" every last letter.

Also, I tend to read things similar to what I want to write about in hopes that I can use several other examples combined to produce something that is all my own. I do not mean copying; but I do mean pulling words or ideas from other works to incorporate into my own. Occasionally the opposite helps just as well; reading works entirely different to what I am trying to write in order to refrain from feeling lesser in comparison to other authors.

Once you find what truly works go for it! We can often be our own worst critic. Find someone willing to check out your work and give you honest feedback. Don't let yourself get in the way of producing something great!
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