This is me blogging while drunk · 3:26am Jan 7th, 2017
Sometimes I go back and reread my own stories. Is that distasteful, of an author?
The most common view of an author towards their own past work seems to be deep shame. But to be honest, looking back at my own stories, I'm often shocked at how good I think they are, even years later.
This is quite a contrast from how I view work I'm currently writing, which often looks absolutely dreadful to me. And I remember that those chapters I look at now with pride were, at the time, barely one step above the line where I would decide that the whole thing was a complete failure and that I should give up writing for the good of the world.
...Gosh, this must be what Estee feels like all the time.
Anyway. Right now I'm rereading chapter 10 of The Crown of Night, and I still think it's really really good. It's not how I would write it if I were doing it now, but I'm still very happy with how it turned out.
I'm less happy with the fact that I haven't updated that story in over a year. But, because I am advanced stupid, and can't do anything the easy way including failure, I do still think that The Crown of Night and The Education of Clover the Clever are basically the same story that was accidentally split into two, even if I don't want the readers to feel that way. Telling stories is a complicated business, as any liar knows.
Of late I'm writing something else. You'll probably hear about it at some point. But once I get my mind in focus again I will proceed with the next and final story of The Education of Clover the Clever, and after that it is my ambition to keep working on The Crown of Night. This being fanfic, I know that a lot of people will see "the author promises to continue working on the long-neglected story" as the final proof that the story is dead and gone, and I can't really blame them. Yet there it is.
My liquor of choice nowadays is gin. While today gin is a respectable liquor, in merry old Victorian England gin was the liquor of choice for poor people who wanted to drink themselves to death. I can understand why. It has the remarkable property that each sip tastes better than the last.
Gin & Tonic became a popular drink because of British soldiers serving in the colonies. Tonic water contains quinine, which suppresses the symptoms of malaria, and if you were a British soldier serving in the colonies, you would get malaria. Drinking gin and tonic was a professional requirement.
In case anyone is wondering: there is no particular reason why I am drunk. It just sort of happened, and tomorrow I will be fine, albeit possibly with a hangover.
I am far too slow a writer, I know. It's an unfortunate combination: slow writing, and epic length ideas. At some point I might just up and reveal everything that's going to happen, because that ensures that the readers won't feel too disappointed when it inevitably dies, but at the same time this is a story where knowing what will happen is a very different experience from seeing it actually happen, so each new chapter won't actually be spoiled by being spoiled. Because this is Star Swirl the Bearded we're talking about, and the past and the future are just the same thing seen from different perspectives.
It's almost half past four in the morning and I should probably go to bed. Good evening.
-Daedalus.
Clover will be along to clean up the mess in the morning, if experience is any guide.
I prefer liquor over beer, and I usually find that I drink mostly whiskey, and once in a while, I like vodka. Moonshine will knock me on my ass, but still fun to drink, as long as I don't drink too much of the stuff.
At any rate, I think rereading your own works is perfectly fine, because in my eyes, it can show where we can improve and/or how far we've come since starting the story. Either way, it passes the time and is a good training tool IMO
Sounds a lot like me. And the irony is you are ten times more published than me! (along with being ten times more pickled)
Hope you dream well and rest easy. As for writing slowly? I'm content to wait for your words to come.
Really, for me, it's the Author going back and rewriting the story before it's fully complete that signals the death knell. Have yet to have a single story I've been reading actually finished after starting that.
I have the same feelings towards Home is for the Weak and Changeling Doll. I look at how it started and where I am now and I feel I've been steadily getting worse. I can also relate on slow writing. Goodness I wish I could write at the rate I think, because then I'd having material around to write a book sized Slice of Life.
*Twitches.*
There there~ I feel ya~
I go back and re-read my own stuff, but not *too* far back, because it can get discouraging. Mostly, I catch typos, such as using 'that' far too much or my horrid dependence on 'as' clauses, but I've found several places where I did not use 'who/whom' correctly too.
One thing which has helped a lot is having a 'scrap' unpublished story in Fimfiction to paste my 'in process' stories into. It's amazing how typos will just jump out and scream in that format where they look perfectly fine in Gdocs. Also, Grammarly will check chapters in Fimfiction that are in 'Edit' mode, so I can just scroll down and look for the red underlines. (I so want a Grammarly plugin for Gdocs) As an example, Drifting Down the Lazy River has about 18 chapters, 16 of which have been re-read about a dozen times :) By the time I start hitting Publish, the first 3/4 will be about as perfect as I'm able to make it (with my editors).
I hope not, because I do it. Honestly, I write my stories to please... me. So, yes, I go back and reread them sometimes when I'm in need of a story I know I'll enjoy.
I love a good G&T, but for sipping liquor, I prefer brown... as in whiskey, rum, or brandy. Coincidentally, we're about to get hammered by back-to-back storms here, and I spent the day chopping firewood and making a run into town to top up my alcohol supply. I intend to hunker down in front to the wood stove with a tumbler of rum and a copy of The Celestia Code.
Hmn... maybe I'll download the first part of The Crown of Night onto my kindle as well. Don't want to run out of good stories!
It is not Distasteful, mate
there is this person in my country who said "You need to praise yourself at least three times a day... because no one else will do it for you" - who cares he was a comedian...right?
and about Gin.... I have this funny story.... that causes me never touching that stuff...ever, ever, ever, ever again (like Pinkie would say)
I look back on my stuff with some frequency. There's some shame there, mostly in underdeveloped ideas I pushed out before they were fully ready, but a fair amount of pride as well.
As for your output rate, don't worry about it. Your stuff is always worth the wait, and from what you've been telling us, at least one part of your Star Swirl diptych is nearing completion. I'm confident that your work will reach a natural, satisfying conclusion, and I look forward to whatever you have in store afterwards.
I reread my own stories from time to time. And sometimes I see a line that makes me think: "Where is that witty and funny me from three years ago? My current stuff is so pedestrian in comparison."
Then again, there's also equal amounts of: "What the hell was I thinking there?" or "How has nobody pointed out this bloody typo to me in three years?"
I must be the only person who likes tonic water plain. :B Of course, I can't drink it, but...
Also, I love going back and reading my random comedies from time to time. I find them consistently entertaining (I wrote them to entertain myself, you'd think they would be), and in each story, there's at least one line that makes me laugh uproariously, then wonder how the hell I turned it out. I usually start considering who I might have ripped it off from, that kind of thing.
Thinking they're good is a whole other kettle of fish, though. :V
I sometimes read my old fics, but I tend to write clop and know what's good for me, so... Also I don't RUI (Reading Under Influence) because it hampers my potency.
You may block me now. I has the flu!
In case anyone was worried, I felt just fine today. I was a little woozy in the morning, but the miracle of paracetamol easily took care of that.
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Years back I took a genuine, respectable bartending course and learned to mix professional quality cocktails. Over time though I realized that while it's a great trick for parties, for my own drinking I prefer it quick and simple. Neat whisky or gin for me, thanks.
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I do believe the next Clover bit is going to be amazing. I pretty much know exactly what's going to happen. I'm just not sure why that doesn't translate into actually writing it 
Thank you for your support
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that is another one of the marks of doom right there.
Oh yes
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Boy do I know that feeling. Both of them.
4373258 I mean, if it'd help I'll prod you daily.
I feel you, sugar; too many long ideas, not the stamina to write them. By Nocturnal, both my stories are only a chapter long??? Said my brain. NEVER.
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I have found recently I have developed a taste for tonic water and blood orange juice (no booze).
As for ethanol...I have to be careful what I consume; with my (lack of) body mass, anything over 15% ABV will knock me flat on my arse. Never really been a fan of "hard" liquors like gin, bourbon, whiskey, vodka, but I do appreciate sipping on a nice bitter home-brewed IPA or some spicy jalapeño honey mead
