When we reread our own work, what are we reading? I recently had a conversation with a fellow writer in which they said: When I first wrote this, I didn’t like it, but now, a year later, I think it’s pretty good.” I’ve had the same experience. In fact, I, and I’m quite sure many other writers, have had the opposite experience of liking something we have just written, only to find that we aren’t so taken with it when we return to it months or years later. So, what is this all about? It would be one thing if the words had somehow morphed to add up to something different. But no. They are the same words on the same page.
The first time I read Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, I confess I was rather bored and could not work up an attachment to any of the characters. About five years later, I read the book again and was dumbstruck at this masterful psychological thriller. I was riveted by nuance and subtle gestures. Obviously, no one had revised the book, so the difference lay with me.
There is no one answer to why we read our own work differently, except to say that we are different. We have distance, are in a different mood, understand ourselves differently, and have possibly developed our craft in the interim. These and other variables are in play when we revisit a piece of our writing. We cannot be in that exact frame of mind or place or time again. We cannot do a first read of anything, especially our own work, again. We weren’t wrong in our first assessment, and we aren’t wrong in the next one.
But we should bring compassion with us when reading again what we’ve written. Distance and time can allow a plethora of critics to join us. I would suggest asking ourselves before we begin, whether we like the writer, have respect for the writer, and are open to what the writer has to say. Can we read this writer in the same way we would read another writer we respect? And that respect bestows dignity in offering the past writer the development and learning that the present writer has acquired. It can and should be a collegial conversation. Two friends who know each other well and have a lifetime of imagination and memory to share.
Upcoming Events
Fantasy/SciFi Workshop Online: July 12 & 13, 2025. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Join me for two days of world building, establishing conflict and tension, developing character and their point of view, using dialogue to deepen plot and themes. We will write together in the workshop, listen and support each other’s work with respect. Spaces limited.
Cost $425.
Contact: maureen@maureenbjones.com
Write With Me at Mass MoCa! August 6 & 7, 2025.
Two days of wandering the wonders of this contemporary art museum and finding inspiration at every turn. We will spend several hours each day exploring the installations then gather in a private room to write, read, and listen to our own written art. Cost: $850.
https://www.writingfulltilt.com/retreats/
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