Who do you read most?

Will it make you cringe when I tell you for me - it's me. I re-read everything. I scan my blog for my favorite post and read it over and over - especially if there are pics - woohoo! I will look up a particular scene in a story that I so enjoyed writing and it seems to flow great. I have even gone so far as to look up old blog comments if I really like what I had to say (yeah - that one is a bit over the top - but what can I say, I like me).

At first, I thought maybe that, that was a bad thing. But I think liking yourself, writing wise, is a good thing. It's not to say that I don't find fault in my work - constant editor mode is hard to switch off, but when you like yourself, you give a certain validation to what you do. And in my line of work, Validation is hard to come by =)

You hear about actors that cannot stand to watch themselves on the screen - they will turn away during their scenes. That is just wrong. (or they are lying!?!) I want to go over what I have created. I want to review it and revel in it if it is good and tweak it if it is not (this goes to my knitting, quilting and other crafts too). I have written a few poems over the years and there is one in particular that I love. I don't know why but I can re-read it over and over (though you'd think I had the dern thing memorized by now).

Maybe it is that I am amazed that I did it. That, that came from me. I created a world that you can believe in, feel for and anticipate the end. It is not an easy task. Some writers come by it more naturally than others, but I don't believe that anyone one that wants to create a tome for all time can do so. I heard Nora Roberts once comment (and please forgive if I get this off a bit, but. . .) "Yes, everyone has a story in them, but not everyone can tell it well." She wasn't being tacky, just telling it like it is.

And I can understand that totally. It takes a certain something to be a writer. Whether I have that remains to be seen, but I still like my writing.

I suppose it could even stretch to say vanity, but that is a little harsh. Although narcissistic ain't a mental health check off point. I just wonder if other writers read themselves as much as I do.