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So today while scrolling in the break room I came across this post on how part of the process of becoming a good writer is learning how to appreciate the mechanisms of writing, which OP separates from the actual content of the story. This not only encompasses shit like making decisions about sentence structure and word choice, but even the very act of sitting down to touch one's pen and paper/keyboard/writing app/etc.
And as I read it, I thought about all the fics that I've written that I personally find subpar even after rereading them numerous times. And what do these fics tend to have in common? I found that they were kind of a slog to actually write, like I didn't have enough motivation to sit and write them even though I was digging the plot/charas/tropes/etc. Which goes back to what OP was saying about how people who don't appreciate the mechanics of writing tend to be poorer writers. Since I was less invested in the mechanics of writing, I put out work I found to be lower-tier, or something along those lines.
But then OP said that if one doesn't enjoy writing something, they don't have to actually *write* it. Rather, they can draw it, animate it, speak it out loud, or use some other creative means. (OK, the speaking out loud example was the only one they actually put, but you get the idea.) Which got me thinking in two directions at once.
For the first direction, I kept mentally coming back to a comment I received a few years back, saying I wrote the piece in question like "a web animation". Now, I've talked about this before, but that initial comment combined with the Tumblr post I'm talking about here made me think about once again how a reason (not *the* reason, but one of them) why I write is that I can't really draw. Or at least, I can't draw as polished enough as a lot of fanartists I follow. So I tend to translate a lot of my ideas into writing, even though on some level they'd be more suitable as a drawing or some other visual media. And it's that mismatch that makes me less keen on the mechanics of writing for some of my works.
But in terms of the second direction, I also started thinking about my more recent stuff that I enjoyed the process of creation for, and a big part of that is probably because they relied on less traditional "writing" structures. Rift of the Neighbor-Posting was the one that came to mind the most, but Still, My [[Bait]] Draws You Near was also up there.
So I guess my takeaways are either: start buckling down and appreciating the actual writing process, or branch out and do more creative work that doesn't involve traditional "writing". Both of which might be easier said than done, but if I nail them, then im gonna be a better and happier creator than what I used to be. hell yeah. Or something
And as I read it, I thought about all the fics that I've written that I personally find subpar even after rereading them numerous times. And what do these fics tend to have in common? I found that they were kind of a slog to actually write, like I didn't have enough motivation to sit and write them even though I was digging the plot/charas/tropes/etc. Which goes back to what OP was saying about how people who don't appreciate the mechanics of writing tend to be poorer writers. Since I was less invested in the mechanics of writing, I put out work I found to be lower-tier, or something along those lines.
But then OP said that if one doesn't enjoy writing something, they don't have to actually *write* it. Rather, they can draw it, animate it, speak it out loud, or use some other creative means. (OK, the speaking out loud example was the only one they actually put, but you get the idea.) Which got me thinking in two directions at once.
For the first direction, I kept mentally coming back to a comment I received a few years back, saying I wrote the piece in question like "a web animation". Now, I've talked about this before, but that initial comment combined with the Tumblr post I'm talking about here made me think about once again how a reason (not *the* reason, but one of them) why I write is that I can't really draw. Or at least, I can't draw as polished enough as a lot of fanartists I follow. So I tend to translate a lot of my ideas into writing, even though on some level they'd be more suitable as a drawing or some other visual media. And it's that mismatch that makes me less keen on the mechanics of writing for some of my works.
But in terms of the second direction, I also started thinking about my more recent stuff that I enjoyed the process of creation for, and a big part of that is probably because they relied on less traditional "writing" structures. Rift of the Neighbor-Posting was the one that came to mind the most, but Still, My [[Bait]] Draws You Near was also up there.
So I guess my takeaways are either: start buckling down and appreciating the actual writing process, or branch out and do more creative work that doesn't involve traditional "writing". Both of which might be easier said than done, but if I nail them, then im gonna be a better and happier creator than what I used to be. hell yeah. Or something
