Reading your own writing

Do you ever get turned on reading your own stories? I generally don't when I'm writing them. I suppose that's because I'm preoccupied with the mechanics of the writing and just keeping the plot on track. If, however, I come back to a story I wrote some time ago, I find I can enjoy it almost as if it were written by someone else.

I'm afraid I am mentally turned on as I write, the pictures conjured up in my feverish brain painting all kinds of pictures as my hands fly over the keyboard; well, hardly flying, more like stumbling actually. God knows how many times I have to proof read, and even then it isn't perfect.

I must admit though that I do enjoy re-reading my stories, some more than others, as I sometimes find myself dissatisfied when I feel I could have re-phrased a paragraph better, or used a different word to enhance the story.

On the whole, I'm just pleased that writing my fantasies gives me enjoyment, and if others are pleased it's one hell of a bonus that they share my enjoyment.

I have to say that I enjoy reading my own stories (the better ones, anyway; not so much the ones I had to struggle to write). In fact, I often enjoy them more than most other stories I read. By know means am I implying that I think my own stories are better than those of other authors. Rather, it's because they tap into MY fantasies with characters that I can relate to - and obviously so, since they are my creations.

I enjoy getting the ideas more than setting them down, but often enjoy re-reading them as I can then suspend disbelief a bit more. I'm also fascinated by how other people react to them, in particular which bits they like best and why. This leads to discering patterns: quite a lot of female posters on three different sites have enthused about bound, spanked policewomen "getting their comeuppance" and lots of British men seem to like any reference to school! Of course, there are infinite variations.

I do that's why I write them in the first place

Edb and I must be clones. He expressed my experience perfectly. Like other spanking writers, my stories usually come from my spanking fantasies. My fantasy life is not a totally static thing. If my stories were dated, you would be able to follow my mental journey through various orientations

Judging from their output (DRGrace) some authors must be able to knock out a finished product in one pass. For me, writing and proofreading are an iterative process. I must allow a day or two before proofreading before I can see my mistakes. Then I must wait another day or two before I can read it yet again to see even more errors and to spot excessive wordiness. ...and then I do it again.

Yes, I do admit to reading my own stories. After all, they are based on my own fantasy life.

Guy

It can be interesting to stumble over an old story I've written and reading it. Sometimes I'll get halfway through before I remember how it ends.

And those are the times I can spot the typos - if a story is fresh in my mind I can remember what I wanted to say so my mind will automatically fill in missing words and correct typos so it reads the way it is meant to. I've found more typos in two and three year old stories than I ever could in a freshly written one.

Goodgulf

I agree with this completely. I'm terrible at proofreading my own work, because I 'read' what I MEANT, but can spot someone else's errors at 20 paces.

Usually the only time I read one of the stories that Adam and I have written or that I have written when bored and he refuses to write, is when they get posted someplace like here or when I am editting them for anther Tales book. Then though, it's work and not for pleasure.

I can't say that I enjoy mine or ours anymore than I do others if the others are well written and sometimes I enjoy other people's even more. It doesn't matter if you are a first time writer or a published author, if you have written something that provokes thought and there is a nugget for teaching I'm grateful.

If the story doesn't turn me on, I won't expect it to turn anyone else on either. In which case I won't bother writing it.

Short answer: yes.