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Post by Stacy on Oct 1, 2009 10:31:53 GMT -5
So I'm listening to The Devil Went Down to Georgia again, lol. And I think I like it for the same reason I like a few rap songs. Well, there's also the bit where my father was in a bluegrass band before I was born and I grew up in rural North Carolina so it's sort of my cultural heritage type of music, but anyway... "I'll take your bet and you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best there's ever been" I admit that I take pride in my art and that I am quite competitive when it comes to writing. And that's how the star ratings on the Sims 2 exchange messed me up - seeing my stuff get downrated while stories that were mostly just screenshots of simselves complete with plumbbobs and thought bubbles that were captioned, "LOL, Simself123 is at the juice bar again. Hyuk." hit 4.9 their first day on the exchange. And I also admit that it was sweet sweet revenge to see Valley grow in popularity as the more popular Sims 2 legacies faded. I may have listened to the Brand New Day song from Dr. Horrible a bit back then. I've chilled out about that now, though. As Valley has gone on it's become more and more just about the story and all that stuff has fallen by the wayside. Also I think I understand the social dynamics of the community more now - back then I was terribly frustrated about people only reading stories by their friends and rating based on their feelings about the author rather than on the objective quality of the story. I also didn't understand the power of suggestion then and how people's perspectives are formed by what other people say. I'm very careful these days about the little comments I add to an update post because I've realized that they do color people's opinion of the update. But that's a topic for another thread maybe. The original topic for this one was the roller coaster of self confidence. Sometimes I feel like Valley sucks and that I suck and that I'm the worst writer in the world. Other times I feel like Valley is good and that I'm a pretty darn good writer. There doesn't seem to be any happy medium where I think we're both average. Does anyone else go through phases like that? And how do you handle the down phase? And is anyone else competitive? I've been working on that and I think I've made a fair bit of progress lately, but I still have a ways to go. And I will probably always want to be the best. I will always identify with Johnny. Maybe that's a part of why I want to do a non-Sims Valley. I want to correct the mistakes I've made in the Sims version. I want to spend years perfecting it. I actually want to practice and put effort in towards, yes, being the best. Even if I do get occasional attacks of feeling like I'm the worst.
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Post by thelunarfox on Oct 1, 2009 11:04:48 GMT -5
This thread is a wonderful idea. Can we use this as a writer support group? First off, it is so comforting to hear that you get those horrible doubts too. Valley is wonderful. It's charming, and interesting, and horrifying and has attracted a lot of attention from people who just like it. So if you're feeling doubts, I feel much better. I think it is only natural, to be honest. Since that's my attitude, I work through the down periods like this: I write. I write about how much I suck, how bad my story is and how no one in the world wants to read it (but how sweet those are who do try to read it). THEN (this is the big part) I hit delete or throw the paper away and carry on. In the end, I am writing for myself and if other people like it, it really makes me happy. If others don't oh well. As for competitiveness, I used to be when I was younger. I still am to a degree, I admit. But I think I lack a lot of confidence. Really, I'm just holding out a paper or two for public consumption but holding the journal close to my heart. If I look at a blog or story and think, "Oh they're only popular because they have a lot of friends; they aren't any good," then it sort of comes across to me as my own jealousy showing. So I shoot stuff like that down right away.
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Post by Monday Morning on Oct 1, 2009 11:37:47 GMT -5
In a way, I know how you feel. As RT is my first sims-based story, I feel like I'm on my own roller coaster ride of indecision and exhaultation. I find that my original idea has changed--as any good idea should--but lately I've been feeling a little off track. It's as though I don't know where to take my characters, or I feel like I'm leaving too much or too little out. With my own non-sims writing, I tend to get too involved with the idea. In real life I suffer obssessive compulsive disorder, and it's always, always caused disaster in my writing. I would obssess over making a story perfect before it was even finished. Thus, I'd lose focus of my main purpose and idea and the story would fall to the wayside. That's why it's taken my so many years to get just the few ideas of mine off the ground, and even then it's not very far. Now, I've gotten help for my OCD, and that's why I've promised myself I wouldn't lose interested (totally) with RT. Of course, we all need our breaks, and I'm finding this new short story of mine to be quite fun. I've not even done any perfectionistic editing! As you know, I've lamented over Chapter Six of RT. It's one of those chapters that I just didn't feel was strong enough. To me, it was the worst chapter yet. Even after the positive feedback on it, I still cringe each time I see it. And so, then I too think I'm an icky writer. You're always telling me, Stacy, that you're ashamed of Valley after reading one of my updates. But I say you're wrong. You don't need to write humungous paragraphs to convey pathos and depth in Valley. What you've done with Valley so far is create your own, believeable world, defined your characters--who are always evolving, like good characters should--and you've been able to translate your story more through the images than through words. It's part of the reason I keep following your story. I always think to myself, "How come I can't have two to three pictures in a row that flow together and make sense?" You're a great writer, as is everyone else that's here at this forum. When it comes to self-critiquing, we are our hardest critic, and sometimes that critic of ours can makes us stop believing in our ability to create magic through pictures and words. Don't judge yourself too hard, just remember that. Okay, I'm going to stop here. I've rambled a little too much.
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Post by girlyesterday on Oct 1, 2009 16:17:51 GMT -5
My current sim story isn't the first I've written. In my TS2 days, I wrote a few of them. So I guess I am already aware of how things work when I started IHS. I used to always feel dejected when no one ever read my stuff. In fact, it would make me think I was a bad writer. I got so caught up in that feeling that I eventually started writing what was "popular" rather than what I wanted to write.
In the end, I had to walk away from it all for a while and do some pretty intense work on myself. Sure, I still experience the ups and downs of writing and sometimes I do feel like I have my "bad" writing days but as long as I love what I do, it's all that matters.
I've got to the stage where I appreciate the people who do read my story, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and that's perfectly okay but I don't get caught up in all that "will people read this?" mentality anymore. I'm writing something I find interesting. I'm exploring a concept I've longed wanted to write about and that makes me happy. Everything else is a happy bonus.
When I do go through those "down" times, I walk away. I stop and I go do something else. I watch a movie, I read my book, I draw in my sketchbook, I go shopping, I just do something else. Eventually, the down time passes and I feel refreshed and recharged and able to plug away at it again.
Sometimes I get too close to the project and I need some distance from it, to look at it objectively and that's what I do to achieve that goal.
I don't think I'm competitive at all. It's why I am a bit wary of social media sites like Livejournal and its ilk. The focus on those sites sometimes seems to be on popularity, how many friends you have, how many people comment etc etc. It might not be like that but from an outsider's perspective, that's how it can come across at times.
In my personal opinion, I think every writer has something to offer and everyone has different ways of approaching writing. It may or may not coincide with the way I do things but that's the beauty of people being different.
I don't read a story because the writer is a friend or is popular. I read stories based solely on their content and whether they engage me as a reader. I've read "popular" stories that I've found didn't appeal to me in the least and yet hordes of readers obviously found something in it they wanted to read about. It just wasn't what I was looking for in a story.
At the end of the day, you can't change the way people think. If someone doesn't like your story, they're not going to like it even if you changed it. In those cases, thank them for their feedback and move on.
The key to successful writing is to believe in yourself and what you're doing. Because, when you do believe in yourself and enjoy what you're doing, it comes across in your stories and then other people end up enjoying it too.
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Post by raquelaroden on Oct 1, 2009 16:29:13 GMT -5
I go through phases where I feel like what I'm doing is substandard, especially in comparison to all the other wonderful stories and images from people on this very forum. But I don't let it stop me because I value my efforts to try to be a better writer/picture-taker/etc. more than I value an honest assessment of my work. I accept that my story isn't ever going to be as good as I want it to be, but if I feel like I am improving, at the very least, then it's totally worth it to put it out there, as flawed and silly as it may be.
I'm not really competitive, until I see a snarky comment. I've been lucky so far, and no one has made one on my story, but I've seen it happen on other story blogs and it makes me so angry. It's so easy to be petty and mean when you are tucked safely away in virtual anonymity. Even if a blog is particularly bad, I can't abide people who are mean in the way they point out mistakes, or who act like they are the grammar police when their own blogs are hardly mistake-free (because of course I go and check them out and start counting them in my vengeful way). It makes me even angrier when I see people say things like, "This concept/story isn't interesting. I can't read any further." Writing a blog ISN'T the same thing as submitting a story to be published. It isn't forcing something on someone who has to respond in some way--if you don't like it, simply stop reading (no need to announce it!). If you think you're doing someone a favor by saying such things, then send them a private message instead of putting it out there on a comment board to humiliate them. That just comes across as cruel (to me, at least). Whew. That was a bit of a rant, sorry.
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Post by girlyesterday on Oct 1, 2009 16:52:32 GMT -5
I agree with you Raquelaroden. I think it's rude to go to someone's blog and post condescending comments to them. And these self-styled grammar police annoy me. I don't know about other people, but what I post online is something I do because it's fun and I enjoy it. Leave me to play in my sandbox how I like.
And if you don't like a story, move on. There's no need to discourage the writer when they obviously love what they're doing.
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Post by mdpthatsme on Oct 15, 2009 19:53:03 GMT -5
Actually criticizing writers will help (or critiquing would be the better word), especially if him or her wants to be published one day. Of course, when it comes to me and criticism, I don't take it well. Something in my blood causes me to be very good at comebacks. So I do well at arguing. But on a level I do agree, if someone posts their stories for fun and general feedback then there's no reason for a person to be rude. If they decide to be hateful, then you know, they have no life or they wouldn't take the time to argue with the writer. After all, no one knows the story better than the writer.
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