Friday, October 29, 2010

What does it mean to be "Satisfied"

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At what point do you except your writing for what it is… how can you be happy enough to call a manuscript complete?


I wish I knew, and hope someday I will know.

I’ve been out of town without internet access, so I hope I’ve caught up with all your blogs.

The more I look back on what I’ve done the more I see the writer I was rather than who I am or think I am.

I can’t move on and I can’t seem to find happiness in what I am doing, so all I can do is keep moving forward until I am.

What about you, how is it going and how do you find the “good” in what you write.

Any tricks, suggestion or any other comment you leave will not fall on deaf ears.

Thx

6 comments:

  1. Mostly, my writing startles me into a laugh, and then I know I've at least caught a little good.

    I don't know when I'll ever be satisfied though. It feels like my writing will never be good enough.

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  2. You know what my problem is? When I write I feel that it is awesome and it's only after time, when I go back, that I'm surprised how "not awesome" it is and begin the tweaking. Always a struggle...you are certainly not alone!

    I think as writer's most of us will never be satisfied, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, right?

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  3. I feel just like you do at this point. I want to feel like my prose is going somewhere... at it is, but it is SO SLOW, and I know even as I'm overhauling the POV and verb tense that this revision is only pointing out more vividly the other elements that need changing (only I can't focus on those right now, or I won't get these fundamental modifications done).

    I really wanted to work on my new novel for NaNoWriMo, but I still have so much to do on this revision! Maybe if I can get it done this week, I'll catch onto NaNoWriMo a bit late. I've never been able to participate, though--I've always been knee deep in something else.

    Good luck to you, Jeff. I really know how you feel.

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  4. For me it's when I look at my ms and can't figure out what to do to it, then it must be done...if I've sent it to my writing buddies and I've followed most of their advice...sent it back to a few of them for last round of reviews...last round of edits then I'm done...When you can't figure out what to do it must be done...until an editor or an agent tells you otherwise. (wink)

    Have a great Halloween, Jeff! Good luck on Marcia's contest...remember she does it once a month. I'll have my fingers crossed for you!

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  5. I don't think satisfaction is necessarily a good thing. I think we always believe it could be better. Maybe, its more of a question of when you are ready to let go, and when you know you have done the best that you can at this particular point in your life. I dunno, still trying to figure it out myself.

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  6. For me, it's liking it, feeling like it says what I wanted it to say. NOT that I think it's perfect. NOT that I think I'll never tweak anything else.

    It means reaching the point where I'm proud to put my name on it. I don't think they're ever "done".

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