I have decided that one of the surest ways for me to hitting a writer's block is to be over-critical of what I'm doing. I've spent the last few weeks reading what a number of admirable writers have to say about writing, absorbing their tips and tricks, their good advice and even the conflicting advice. I've even re-posted some of the tips! (see previous entry...) But the net result for me personally has not been what I wanted or expected.

Remember that scene in A Knight's Tale where Count Adhemar (the effortlessly sexy Rufus Sewell) contemptuously dismisses our hero? "You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting."

That's how I feel *chuckles*. I've never been a confident writer as I fell into collaborative storyplay quite by accident, and I have never thought of myself as being anything more than an averagely entertaining two-bit hack. Although naturally, I like to try and do the best I can (I am a prideful two-bit hack!), I've never had pretensions to write for publication or anything high-falutin' like that. It's just something I do to entertain myself and my co-writers. But lest anyone think I am being overly or falsely modest here, I will add that I consider myself to be at least as 'good' a writer as many of my louder peers *grins*

Anyway, the Christmas holiday gave me an enforced break from my post-writing schedule, and as always when my routine is interrupted, it takes me a little while to get back into the flow again. But this time, I've felt strangely more reluctant than usual. And now I've finally managed to crack the posting drought, I think I've nailed why.

Somewhere, amongst all this good writing advice, I almost forgot that for all my admitted writing sins, I do still enjoy my modest forays into storytelling. I was starting to evaluate my simple little collaborative stories with a serious intensity that, for me, risked negating the fun I had in writing them. To put it baldly - I was starting to scare myself off. I was looking at my words on the screen and weighing them, measuring them, and finding them wanting.

Nope indeedy. My writing just doesn't withstand that level of critical scrutiny and come out of it undented *chuckles*

Well, I don't need to make myself feel inadequately gifted, or to market what I don't have! Most of what I write will never be read by anyone other than my writing partner because even in the Pans, I'm not a high profile roleplay writer in high profile novels. That's okay by me, and it even gives me a sense of relief and liberty to know there are only two people I truly need to improve my writing for and satisfy - myself and my writing partner.

So although I shall continue to read, and maybe even comment on, all the excellent creative writing tips and advice, I'm going to cheerfully chill out about it all and not worry about being serious or competitive, because that’s not why I personally do it. For me, the bit of writing I do will always remain a modest hobby. I want it to stay an enjoyable one, or it just wouldn’t be worth doing.