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Smut had better be organized, at least as organized as my “visual inspirational research material” ….

How do you think your writing has changed over time? What lead to those changes? Do you remember every story you write? I am not much of a writer, but I get and itch of an idea and must scratch it down once in a while. I have a smattering of stories written over the last 20 years, and I have forgotten about most of them. I stated that I never wrote erotica before, but apparently that isn’t true because I found one that I wrote 5 years ago - for an obscure home-brew video game of all things - and it was awful. I have no memory of writing it at all, so everything in it was a surprise. I realize how much I have changed even over 5 years – a better sense of reality, or depth, perhaps. Yet, I found another fanfic written even earlier, and I was on the edge of my seat and mad that I left it on a cliffhanger. I might even go back and try to finish and clean it up. So, it isn’t linear. How do other writers reflect on their past stories?

I wasn’t that delusional in the beginning, still not. I know writing/english/literature weren’t my best subjects in school, typicallythe worst. It took an anonymous pen name before I had the courage to even post that first one.

I think confidence helps too. I think at the start a lot of writers think their writing is awesome enough to push on people, yet won't read it themselves and get super insecure about critical feedback so they won't go to betas. Getting over that phase was a bit of a milestone for me. Like getting to a point where I can take reasonable critiques and enjoy reading my own writing and edit the hell out of it and still think the shit I'm spinning is gold. Edit: I'm in a hotel recovering from a biopsy so if I Fuck up my grammar or spelling y'all just gotta deal. <3

There was a profound difference between fanfic #1 and fanfic #2, and I think the writing’s gotten generally better since then (even if there’s been a detour or two through terrible ideas).

What Clover said! But really, fan fiction is a terrific way to hone writing skills. The world building and basic character development is done, and you just get to put your own slant on things. Sharing that online brings valuable feedback and yes, the chance to talk to other writers.

My writing has absolutely evolved. A few things factor into it. I very much credit my years in fanfiction as a powerful foundation. Though my writing sucked back then, it was an excellent training ground for character development and crafting interesting stories using elements everyone involved was already familiar with. Also formal education played a part. I'm a high school drop out but I went out of my way to teach myself as well as seek out others who could teach me: take classes, read writing books, write essays and long discussions with my english professor mother. Plus there's the natural improvement that happens just online from writing a lot and communicating with other writers that I 100% believe has the biggest impact out of all the things I just mentioned.

Me? With fear, loathing and the occasional chuckle at a forgotten joke that came out quite well when I look at it again. Also trying to work out what the hell kind of obscure reference a name was likely referring to or punning on. Sometimes I think “hey this wasn’t so bad” and sometimes I think “Eh, s’ok.” With my re-writes of some of my old stories there are bits I’ve felt should have been expanded on more than in the original, so expanded ‘em, and also bits I’ve felt were needlessly mean spirited (in rape/snuff fics! It took some doing!) almost as if I 2007/2008 me was trying to provoke non-perverts who probably were not even reading rather than entertain peverts who were. Long time ago now. If you do go back you can certainly make something worthwhile out of the half-finished, or take scraps and turn them into something new. Good luck if you do! I really don’t remember everything I wrote at all. Sometimes someone says something to me about something I wrote or an old story and I’m like “Really? Ok!” When I had a review on an old original oneshot recently I had literally forgotten everything about it except that I had thought it was terrible at the time, and why I wrote it, and I finally re-read it after the review. Sympathy for the reviewer there. Another thing, reminded by your home-brew experience, a few weeks back I was looking at an old file full of bios and scenery descriptions I wrote for a non-erotic play by email type RPG game in like 2000-2001. Some of those characters were pretty engaging! At least one is like a proto-Kizurial with an alcohol problem.