Have you ever mocked and laughed at some of your old writings?

Yes.

Also remember that as an artist, you are your own worst enemy. We often thing the things we do are crap, and we can do better. So it could be a little of both. You could be way too hard on yourself, and/or they could be actual crap.

I actually haven't looked back at any of my old writings lately. I should probably do that.

NO. It does not happen to ALL writers. There are different kinds of writers.

I refer to Rock Hall of Famer, (as well as songwriter and other HOF) Joni Mitchell.

In a recent interview she was asked about the difference between her music and her painting. She is an accomplished artist in both disciplines.

She said when a painting is done, it is done and she is satisfied.

But she won't (and says can't) listen to her music because she always hears things which she wishes she would have done differently. Perhaps there was a better or different way to have written the lyrics or made the music somewhat differently, maybe " the fourth, the fifth, a minor fall or major lift".

Sure we all can go back and look at our old stuff, but we may forget the intent and purpose of the original writing. IF it was just to make a buck, if it was a JOB, or a paid gig. We needn't give it much thought.

If it was creative, then probably most artists see the areas where they might have improved it. The problem is, we may not be able to get that "state of mind" or the intent of the original, and/or words might have changed meaning.

Old poets who wrote about being gay, had something else in mind than today's poet might.

BUT, even if we see writing we've done which could make us cringe today, I don't believe most of us, let alone ALL...think it sounds BS. Maybe yours was??

GordonJ

PS. Nothing personal.

I certainly look back now and again at old work and can see how I have developed and fine tuned my skills, after all that is showing my growth and the development I have focused on through learning more and more about how to write well to suit my client's needs, and not just writing for writings sake. Nowadays, I understand more elements of the pie, whereas back then I probably only really considered my piece and didn't weave in elements of SEO and consider the holistic elements of my writing. While it may be cringeworthy, at the same time I quite like reading over my old work as it show that I am changing and evolving - which is what I want to be doing.

Yes. My articles from 2011-12 make me cringe. LOL.

yes it has happened, its very funny actually. I sit back and wonder how i thought of the ideas i did and why i wrote or used the wording i did. its all learning process.

No. I personally make a point not to go back over old work once it's been signed off by the client.

For one thing, without their brief in front of me, I'd find it hard to remember exactly what the piece was written for. When looking at it through your own eyes and not the eyes of their target market as requested, it's bound to look crap! Without a brief to refer to, you'd also be unaware of any SEO words and phrases that you'd been asked to include which could also have an effect on the way the piece reads. Without putting myself back into the bigger picture of why the article was written, I wouldn't even both looking to be honest!

Another thing is that trends in language change. If you're looking at stuff that is a few years old, depending on who you were writing for, there may have been words that were more popular to use than they are now and vice versa. I know that in the corporate world there are new buzzwords that pop up all the time and while something you write today could be top notch as far as meeting the requirements of your client goes; in 12 months time you could look back and think 'wow, that's crap!'

Don't be ashamed of yourself; while your technical style has undoubtedly improved with time, practice and experience - I'm sure you've done your best on each and everything that you've submtted. And if that keeps your client happy too, who can argue with that?

Think of a zillion year-old turtle ballsack.

Tellya, that is the extent to which I have shriveled 'pon review of past miracles.

I guess you gotta figure if nuthin' you ever did — includin' writin', art, music, craft/product — glimmered with a fainter light with the benefita hindsight, then it would signify either spectacular hubris or stasis on the parta the creator.

If growth an' transmutation are inevitable factsa life, I would want always to have these kindsa reflective encounters — even those involvin' metaphoric underwater reptile parts make you wanna diiiie.

Gotta figure also, any substantial creative wrangle gonna suck in a whole rangea experience.

Novels, for example, usually take more'n a few weeks to complete, an' most bands only pump out an album a year max.

These creations are forged in the long moment from a swirla boyfriends, political crises, national "moods", trends, noo coatsa paint in the bedroom, singular encounters of total insignificance but for how they changed the creator's thought, andya could argue how the mere passagea time alters the potential outcome.

Stephen King's 'Vampire Romcom with 17yo protag' or 'Beyonce Sings German Beer Drinkin' Favorites' are gonna come out very different post-Trump/Clinton, post-Brexit, post-Pokemon Go than they woulda done in 2015, even if the concept is watertight an' adhered to with deitylike meticulousness.

I used to read over my old stuff but not so much anymore. One, because I automatically would start making changes in my head, which is a waste of time, and two, well, because as others have mentioned, times, perceptions and expectations change.

And we change just as much as people. I mean, I now cringe when I reread some of the fiction books I used to really enjoy and wonder what the hell was wrong with me that I could like that stuff. It could be because I was in a completely different field at the time, it could be because I’ve been working on honing my fiction-writing skills and now I see problems everywhere, or it could just be because my tastes have changed a little – though I tend to enjoy the same types of movies and shows as I did then.

But as Princess Balestra so aptly put it, if you don’t think you could improve on something you wrote in the past, taking into account that by simply moving forward in life you’ve gained more experience, knowledge and understanding, then, well, you’re pretty much living in a self-contained bubble on a different planet to the rest of us mortals. Or you think the sun shines out of your rear end so much that you think everything you have ever written is gold.

Nah, just a prodigy here and nothing has changed not even the slightest since the day I left
Grammar School lol

Seriously, I look back on some stuff I wrote in my twenties and early thirties and see some differences. Not a whole hell of a lot. But enough to think ...." Hey Rob, you have picked up a few kewl tewls to keep things trucking along".

But in the last 10 years of my existence? Not so much. More so just maintaining with the occasional random whim of taking a step back and seeing what a few newer techniques might bring to the table and how they might shine a brighter light on them there words

If it was creative, then probably most artists see the areas where they might have improved it. The problem is, we may not be able to get that "state of mind" or the intent of the original, and/or words might have changed meaning.

NO. It does not happen to ALL writers.I usually read serious books.

I agree with you, gingerninjas. I too rather enjoy looking at my various writings to see how I've progressed.

** Warning the following could be construed as a touch of self promotion **

(I thought it was only fair to say…)

Years ago I sent one of my epics to Dan Kennedy for a "critique" (at the time he was offering them in his newsletter and books).

I remember him joking at one of his seminars saying if everyone who had a "critique" form actually used it he would be f***** because he would never have the time to get his own work done.

Anyway, weeks later I got a reply and to my surprise - he said my Ad was good. And gave a couple of suggestions to make it even better.

I guess I might read that one again. Maybe twice and then pop it back in the picture frame… I mean the filing cabinet.


Steve

lol, Well, I had the same experience of you, Last years, I found an article in my hometown( writing on French called -production écrite) I wrote in secondary school about going to the beach( I never went to the beach when I was at 12 years) I just imagined. I wrote I saw a Mermaid, she kissed me and passed away.

Yes, I am in the process of shutting down some old sites and the content made me laugh.
I am still a very terrible writer, but i have improved so much over the years,

I left the content on there as a show of how far i have come. But now i have other projects and can not divide my time fairly enough between them all.

Maybe by the time i am 70 i will be able to write a decent post!!

I always admire my work because I always learn from my mistakes. Practice makes perfect. Keep in mind that you were practicing writing when other watched cartoons (well, watched movies and went to parties).

Yes and no.

Some of my old writings were HORRIBLE but I use it as a learning tool. Basically so I know all the hard work it took to get from that point to the point I'm at right now. It can be done .. if you just continue to work at it.

Hi WF community, I was just going through some of my old writings/articles (I took them offline 6 years back), and although it was nostalgic, it was extreeeeeeemlyyy pathetic at the same time!

The phrases and words seemed entirely alienated to me and tbh I felt ashamed of myself. Does it happen to all the writers out there? Is this part of a learning curve, where we improve so much that our past work sounds BS to us?

Same here. My first articles are HUGE walls of text. Next ones are huge walls of text with some highlights and book pictures. Then after, chunked up walls of text. Then only later did I learn to use a lot of images and headings, and to write the article in a way that you can scan it and get the full lesson in less than 5 seconds.

It would be weird to practice a craft for years then notice no improvement.

The stuff of mine that makes me most cringe is the work I produced during my last agency role. Because we were really under pressure to deliver the projects in such short time. And because our briefing was ridiculously inadequate. And because a lot of the sitemaps . Nobody in the agency was even the tiniest bit interested in setting the copywriting up for success.

I look at these websites and I can see all the corners cut to get the draft delivered and approved on time.

And I can't avoid the thought.. that if those projects were run properly.. they could have been so much better.

My professional articles for my websites have definitely improved, but I never really went back and regretted writing them or laughed at them. Now my facebook messages are a completely different story lmao!

Yes, definitely! I am glad that I am past this stage where I look back and think how awful of a writer I am. I started blogging when I was in sixth grade. I didn't have a lot to write about then and not a lot of people were into blogging during those years, so then, I felt I already am good at writing. But fast forward, and I read back to what I wrote, I think that I am too much of an emotional writer and my thoughts are highly-disorganized. So I cringe. haha. But now, I am thankful that the courses I take every summer are just there, and I can take them and continue to improve my writing. This is really a good sign for all of us who are concerned about the way we write because some people out there don't give a sh** about grammar, spelling or their writing, in general.

Your question brings back sooo much memories when I was a freelance writer. I find my old works funny and juvenile. They give me a good laugh once in awhile. And I am proud that I've learned from them.