Ooh - I have a question for writers and readers:

[leethet]

I've gotten the impression that it's considered kind of bad manners to admit you think your story isn't good. If you agree, what is the reasoning behind that? Note: I'm not here to attack anyone's position. I don't even have one myself except that if this is a thing, as I've kind of gleaned, I'm not sure I understand why it's a thing.

As ever, any sort of response and discussion is welcome in my LJ.

Comments

[leethet.livejournal.com]

And although I do understand what you mean about false modesty, it's a shame that this world is such that true modesty - or, if that sounds too Victorian, an accurate ability to judge one's own work by fairly universal (if professional) standards - is an unbelievable motive.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

But wouldn't someone who was truly modest not say anything? Or if they really thought that they were that bad a writer, they wouldn't write at all? Yes, I know, some people do it for fun. Actually, I imagine most of us do. But how much fun is something if we do it badly?

We all probably have people who write better than we do, and people who write worse, so you either work at getting better or decide that you're comfortable with your level of writing skill and leave it at that.

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I guess if it's OK to say "I think I did well in that story" it should be OK to say "I don't think that's a very good story of mine." I'm not sure it really has anything to do with modesty. It's honesty, that's all. Isn't that an OK thing to be honest about? Maybe it's because I enjoy discussing the craft of writing. I don't feel like it's wrong to open the door on the bones of the work, including whether I think I did well or not. Thinking I wrote a story that isn't very good isn't the same thing as thinking I was a bad writer (although, hell, as you say, with fandom, you could be, or think you are, a bad writer and still do it for the fun of it. I'm a lousy pool player but man, I love to play).

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I think it's totally acceptable to say that you do, or don't, think a particular story of yours is good in a discussion on writing. It's what you're discussing after all. In that context, I would take it at face value.

But I think that's different from adding it to a story you've just posted. Really, I think if I saw on a post that the writer didn't think it was very good, I'd probably not read the story.

[leethet.livejournal.com]

I think if I saw on a post that the writer didn't think it was very good, I'd probably not read the story.

I think I might at least sample it out of morbid curiosity. :-) Y'know? Or if I were familiar with their work. Although that, too, probably, is just my interest in the craft - I might want to see if I thought they'd gone south too, or if I could tell in what way.