Authors' irrational fears

[nibbles2]

You are incredibly sweet! Thank you! (I pretty much learned English from reading Sweet Valley High/Kids/Middle School! )

LOL. That is just so awesome.

[spacegirl23]

You are incredibly sweet! Thank you! (I pretty much learned English from reading Sweet Valley High/Kids/Middle School! )

LOL. That is just so awesome.

It's true. Embarrassing, but very true!

[trulov]

This is a great thread. Thought I'd share.

For myself - I'm always paranoid about stealing someone else's ideas. I've read so much fanfiction that when I get a storyline in my head I'm terrified that its not really mine - but something that I've read over the years. Before I posted my first story - I actually posted the plot in the Looking for Fanfiction thread - just to be sure it was original. This became less of a concern with my second story though.

Then of course there's always the fear of letting the readers down. I get sooo inspired when I read that people really liked a particular chapter - but then before I post the next chapter I think - They're not going to like this...its all downhill from here. I think there's less pressure in this regard when a story is already near completion.

Anyway - those are my top two - but of course I have experienced much of what previous authors have commented on. I guess it just comes with the territory.

And I know this isn't the place for it - but to everyone who gave such fantasic and encouraging feedback for Tangled - Thank you. Can't say it enough. It was because of all those happy thoughts that I think the story turned out as well as it did.

[Tears_of_Mercury]

For myself - I'm always paranoid about stealing someone else's ideas. I've read so much fanfiction that when I get a storyline in my head I'm terrified that its not really mine - but something that I've read over the years.

THIS so hard. On the one hand, of course similar plotlines are going to pop up this long after the show's cancellation, but on the other, every writer wants to be original - and plus, at a certain point, the rules concerning plaigarism get a little murky. It's always prudent to err on the side of caution.

[behrlyliz]

The fear that my writing sucks. In my case, I’m not so certain it’s a fear, but more like reality . I read fanfiction for fun and started writing it for fun. However when I reread a story of mine in the D&B thread a couple of years ago, I started to see the flaw in that. I should have taken writing more seriously because I now have to live with the embarrassment of my SN being associated with that story forever. Embarrassment aside, I’ve learned a valuable lesson. What lesson is that? The importance of researching writing before you start writing, definitely before you start posting it.

I have a very bad habit of my overactive muse coming up with TONS of story ideas. I will be writing one story and then want to write another and another until I find I have three or four open stories and run out of inspiration.

You've described me perfectly

[April]

behrlyliz, I can totally relate to that. Sometimes I read my earlier fics, and I think to myself, "Oh my god, I don't want to be associated with those!"

[KatnotKath]

ditto to both of you - one of my few finished fics took so long to compelte that I could even see the difference in my writing from one set of chapters to another At the time I posted the original thread of course, I thought it was fine. Now though, I like to think that my writing has matured somewhat. I guess that's part of being a writer though, striving to improve. And if you manage it, of course you'll notice what you did before might not be so good. It's not necessarily something to beat yourself up over though, it's a natural progression...

Did I make any amount of sense there?

[killjoy]

behrlyliz, I can totally relate to that. Sometimes I read my earlier fics, and I think to myself, "Oh my god, I don't want to be associated with those!"

Ohhh god so true My very first attempts at fanfiction belongs to another fandom that I also love....fics I hope to god none of you ever see...for they were very bad.I look back at them,put my hand over my eyes,shake my head and go "What was I thinking?!"

[Michelle17]

Hi all,

My fear right now with writing is not being able to complete a fic. I know I have completed one, but that was a short fic. I'm scared to actually finish it in away. My old fics that I want work on I can't. I just I don't know what I'm just what is. It could be that I never have a plan for my stories. I think that it is mostly I don't like see how mistakes I make. I can't go back and edit my work.

[nibbles2]

My fear, with almost four years on the clock, is that I'll never finish Gold Diggers. But that's not so irrational.