User blog:SOURCECODE01/Looking Back



I finally updated my profile and everything a few days ago.I am just blown away by how far I have come. I feel like I am looking at a child. It is impressive. I used to be scared of these stories, now I am immune. I used to be a terrible editor, now I feel 10 times more competent and coherent. Yes, I have stacked up some warnings along the way, but if you don't make mistakes, you never learn, you know? I love this site, and I am definitely glad that I joined.

I think that in the writer's workshop, it is heartwarming to see the new writers post terrible pastas, and then, a month later, bring back this masterpiece they have slaved over instead of spending 5 minutes on. I think it is equally hilarious to watch members defend horrible work because they compare it to their own work. I do, however, have a problem with the whole "This is my first pasta and I didn't read the rules, so give it lots of love, okay?" I feel like these people are not the serious writers or they don't want any actual criticism. I still remember my first pasta. It was about a haunted file. (Yes, back in the time when they weren't blacklisted) I was impatient to post this literary wonder and reuploaded it two times before I realized that something was wrong. I checked my talk page, and, lo and behold, one of the admins had deleted my story! I was outraged and I immediately responded, asking what was wrong with it. I took it to the writer's workshop, sure that after 300 million positive reviews, Empy would see the errors of his way and repost it.

15 minutes and 2 reviews later, my fantasy world was shattered. They pointed out gaping plot holes and inconsistencies to my story. I reworked it, twice, but still the reviews were negative. I was working on a 3rd draft when Computer pastas were effectively blacklisted. I wasn’t as crushed as you might think. Through the reworking of the story, I became tired of trying to save it. I felt like I was trying to mine underwater. Too many sides to prop up, Too many holes to explain away. I burned out editing that story. After that, I took a large step back and edited like a madman. Not on my story, but other people’s stories. To help others see the errors they made in going too fast. It taught me a very important lesson: not to jump into anything like a madman. Take your time, construct carefully and take breaks! Your story and the site as a whole will benefit greatly! Since then, I have written about 5 others but never posted them. I like them, and for me, it doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks because I am not publicly showcasing them. They are parts of me that I took out of my own head, not

