Publishing vs. blogging

[randy_byers]

So I'm in the final stages of writing my Worldcon report. This is always the most difficult part of the process for me, because at this point it looks like a barrel of unappetizing sludge to my eyes. The sentences are awkward, the paragraphs are incoherent, and the arguments and observations are, frankly, stupid and reveal me for a self-centered, self-deluded, and altogether clapped-out fraud. Now, I've been through this process enough times to know that at least part of it is just psychological flak and failure of self-confidence, but of course that doesn't help me to see what changes might actually improve the damned thing. Fortunately this is intended for publication in a fanzine, and the editors of said fanzine will give me feedback so that I'm not just stuck with the confused messages from my nasty-ass backbrain.

But I really hate this part of the writing process, and I'm struck by how different it is to write for my LiveJournal. I almost never suffer this level of self-doubt when I write here, because I'm not writing for publication. It's just a fricking LiveJournal, so who cares how incoherent it is? Roll your eyes and move on to the next post, right? Which isn't to say that I don't fuss over my writing here. I frequently revise my LJ posts, even after it's not likely that anyone else will ever look at them again. But I never get to the stage of thinking, "This is just crap, and I have no idea how to fix it. I stink."

Is this why some people give up writing for publication and just blog instead?

Comments

[missfairchild.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

I find writing for LJ very easy, even back when I was doing all my "serious" stuff here, because most of the time I have the damn thing written in my head before I start. Or, at least, I have the key passages worked out. And sometimes I have the jokes written and have enough faith in them that I don't bother too much about the filler. (This has led to some sloppy wording on occasion, and Drama has resulted.)

This is how I used to write for fanzines, too. And then, sometime after Shebang, I lost my mojo. Or at least transferred it over here where >50% of the audience was non-fannish and it didn't seem to matter so much if I failed.

I've been here for nearly eight years now and have no idea if I am still capable of writing for a print audience.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I think that could be it in my case.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

How to write for publication without the self-consciousness that comes with writing for publication but not for LJ:

Write the first draft as an LJ post or series of LJ posts.

Then revise for publication.

I've had some success at bypassing my self-consciousness filters with this.

[trinfaneb.livejournal.com]

Based on interviews I've read, alot of novel writers suffer a similar experience when they are finished or very close to finishing a book.

It sometimes happens to me no matter what I'm writing, but I don't know why.