Do you find it harder to critique your own work?

[Griffith]

I consider myself to be very good at helping other people sort out their writing mistakes. I usually have a sharp eye at spotting grammar mistakes and spelling errors. I also know when a story does or does not flow well. However, when it comes to doing this same kind of analysis on my own work, I find it much harder. Maybe it's because I have the words already in my mind, so I don't concentrate on them as much, but rather skim over them as I read. I usually have to read my own work many more times than I would other people's works to fix the mistakes. Does anyone else have this problem? If you don't have this problem, then do you have some tips to help me become better at critiquing my own work?

 

[Sapheron]

With my own work I see mistakes everywhere and think it is horrendous, whether this is true or not. It's very hard to look at your own work fairly. After all, people see what they think they will see, in general. I, believe that I'm not going to write good enough, so that is what I see. No matter how much I tell myself I'm alright at it (which apparently I am), it doesn't help. I just can't get rid of the idea that I'm never going to make anything worth anyone reading.

So yes, people do have the same problem of you. A lot of them as well, I think.

The only tip I can think of is leave it for a while. The problem you say you have is that you have the words in your head. If you don't read it for, say, four weeks, then you won't have them in your head (unless you have an awesome memory), and so it would be like reading someone else's work. Well, at least as near as it can get.

 

[HoopyFrood]

It is always difficult to spot the mistakes in your own work because you read what you think is there rather than what is actually there. I've often gone over an old story and seen many glaring errors that you just don't notice when writing. So yeah, leaving a story for a while can often help with it, because then you forget the details and start reading the words on the page rather than the story that's in your head.

I hate critiquing my own work. I know it has to be done, but it's tedious, I want to write! And I also think it's because every so often I have these stages when I just can't write more than a paragraph and end up endlessly editing instead. Sigh.

 

[Pyan]

Don't look at me - I always use the spellchecker and the "Preview Post" button, and still have to use "Edit Post" most of the time, because I thought I'd written what I meant to say!
A good spellchecker should sort out spelling problems, obviously, but the "flow" and the grammar are harder. Just an idea, but what about changing the font and/or size from your "working" pages to your critiquing ones? Perhaps the difference will make it seem more like someone else's work you are picking over.

 

[chrispenycate]

Yes, me too (and yes, I consider myself pretty good at spotting mistakes)
I dug out a piece I wrote three or four years ago, and it was just loaded wit punctuation mistakes. If it had been anyone else's, I'd have sotted them staight of (well, perhaps I wasn't in such good training back then)
And spell checkers and I do not see eye to eye (neither do gramma checkers; I wonder if it's me or the computer?)

 

[ice.monkey]

It looks like we're not alone. With myself I think it's because I know the story, I know what's coming up and I know what I'm trying to say and put across with each sentence. So when I read it to edit, I'm reading it with all that baggage. A case of can't see the wood through the trees.

Don't rely on spell checkers. A spell checker will see 'to' and 'too' as being spelt correctly, but if you've use them in the wrong place it won't pick it up! So even if you use this tool, still take time to read through yourself.

I've heard painters have a similar problem with their art. Some of them actually look at their paintings in a mirror to help them spot what painters consider to be errors. Pity we can't do the same!

 

[Sapheron]

Sure we can, as long as you can read backwards...

 

[Stormpirate]

I'm horrible at reading my own work. I see fault in everything. What if this idea sucks? Did I write it descriptively enough? Was I TOO descriptive? I'm pretty good at grammar, so I don't normally focus on that, but I usually never let anyone read what I've written because I'm afraid they'll tell me that I'm horrible at this. And I want to one day be published!

 

[Leaf Face]

Something that helps me edit my own stuff is to read a book for an hour or two before I start editing. Then I have a different mind-set and can see my stuff from a fresh point of view.

 

[Talysia]

Like a lot of people here, I find it difficult to critique my own writing. Whenever I look back over what I've written, I find mistakes simply because I'm in a rush to get the ideas down on paper. As for tips on how to critique your own work better, well it depends: I only type my work up onto a computer when I'm happy it's good enough on paper. That way, I can often correct it as I type it.

 

[Commonmind]

I generally write the entire story without any heavy revising. I then go back to the beginning and start correcting mistakes, inconsistencies and adding description or dialogue where needed. After that I toss the manuscript into a drawer and forget about it for about 5-6 weeks. After I've done that I can generally pick it back up and approach it pretty objectively; the mistakes I've made during writing aren't necessarily easy to spot when I'm in the process of writing, putting it away for a bit sort of clears the internal cache and allows me to read it as if it were another's work.

 

[mosaix]

Commonmind is right about this. Put it away for at least a month then critique it.

The reason why it is so difficult to critique your own work is that you read what you intended to write not what actually went down on paper.

After a month you will find that you have forgotten it all entirely. Mistakes will leap at you from the page, not just spelling and grammar but style as well.