This is something I think about on a fairly decent basis. Is my writing the next chaucer? Or is my writing just crap fluff that just exemplifies the problems with writing being so easy that anyone can do it?
I know I fall somewhere in the middle range and my overall writing ability isn't what this post is about. What I want to know is:
How do I recognize which of my stories is well written and which need more editing?
Any of my stories most likely could use more polishing as I simply haven't been writing that long and I imagine that if I do continue writing I will look back at these stories in much the same way as starting artists look at their first drawings... with a small shudder and thankful that I've improved that much.
But I don't know how to tell if my stories are well written. For example in the 6 short short stories I've got posted on the right. I -feel- that Payment and Garden shadows are my better works while Meeting and Paying rent need a LOT more work. And that is a start. I can guess that if *I* don't like how they turned out and feel like I should work on them more then they probably do need a good brisk scrubbing.
I just wonder if there is a point where I/you as an producer of things think that our product is done, perfected and finished and because I/we haven't had any training in the matter we miss some badly needed improvements. And if there is a point like this how do we circumvent it?
This is a question I would pose to Steven Erikson, or L.E. Modesitt, two of the authors I read more often and whose works I really like. And who seem to be moderatly successful.
I know I fall somewhere in the middle range and my overall writing ability isn't what this post is about. What I want to know is:
How do I recognize which of my stories is well written and which need more editing?
Any of my stories most likely could use more polishing as I simply haven't been writing that long and I imagine that if I do continue writing I will look back at these stories in much the same way as starting artists look at their first drawings... with a small shudder and thankful that I've improved that much.
But I don't know how to tell if my stories are well written. For example in the 6 short short stories I've got posted on the right. I -feel- that Payment and Garden shadows are my better works while Meeting and Paying rent need a LOT more work. And that is a start. I can guess that if *I* don't like how they turned out and feel like I should work on them more then they probably do need a good brisk scrubbing.
I just wonder if there is a point where I/you as an producer of things think that our product is done, perfected and finished and because I/we haven't had any training in the matter we miss some badly needed improvements. And if there is a point like this how do we circumvent it?
This is a question I would pose to Steven Erikson, or L.E. Modesitt, two of the authors I read more often and whose works I really like. And who seem to be moderatly successful.
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