Hello, friends! Welcome to this month’s meeting of the Insecure Writers’ Support Group, a blog hop created by Alex J. Cavanaugh and cohosted this month by J Lenni Dorner, Victoria Marie Lees, and Sandra Cox. Are you a writer? Do you feel insecure? Well, then this is the support group for you! Click here to learn more and to see a list of participating blogs.
Each month, IWSG asks members a question. The question is optional. I usually skip it, but this month’s question stirred up some deep feelings and some deep insecurities, so I thought I’d better address that. The question is:
Many writers have written about the experience of rereading their work years later. Have you reread any of your early works? What was that experience like for you?
I’ve mentioned before in these IWSG posts that I feel insecure about my role as a science communicator, given that I don’t have any formal scientific training or experience. So it’s a little jarring, when I’m looking for information about a specific space/science topic, to see my own blog posts pop up in search results. I sometimes forget, when I’m looking for information about a specific topic, that I’ve already covered that topic before.
Reading those old blog posts of mine—those blog posts I forgot I wrote—is not fun. They’re pretty cringy. The art (in my judgment) is bad, the writing is worse, and the jokes aren’t funny. However, setting aside these issues of style, the substance of my old blog posts is surprisingly decent. The important thing is this: I came looking for information about a specific space/science topic. Sometimes it’s a super niche topic that nobody on the Internet would think to write about (except me, apparently). And whatever information current me is looking for, past me provided it. Past me also did a good job citing his sources, usually, so if I want to learn more, I can learn more.
I still feel insecure about my place as a science blogger on the Internet. My writing could be better. My art could be better, too, and my jokes need work. But after rereading some of my old blog posts, I can feel reassured about this: I stick to the facts and communicate information well. I’m at least doing that part of the job right.
i-love-space.com 
Thank you for this. It is encouraging to me that you can encourage yourself with these insights. It is the most fun to write about things about which you are passionate.
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Thanks! I’m glad you got something out of this! And yeah, if you’re not passionate about whatever you’re writing about, it’s no fun at all. If there’s no passion, it’s basically not worth doing.
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That is crazy–past you having answers for some questions you’re having right now. I go to my old journals when I remember something–like which flavor was the cake at my brother’s tenth birthday:)
You think your past works need improvement because the current you have improved. That is a big win right?
Happy February!
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–Rida from spotforyoubyme.blogspot.com
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That’s true. That is a win. I also take it as a reminder that I still have more improving to do in the future.
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It’s great that you can see the good in your writing. We all see things we could write better or revise.
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True. We’re always improving.
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That’s cool your own blog posts show up in searches. Bet they aren’t as bad as you think, either.
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Maybe so. Writers are our own worst critics.
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I’m with you on the cringe. But at least past the cringe, you’ll also find proof of your improvement from then to now.
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That is true. That’s definitely true.
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I cringe every time I look at my early blog posts, so I know how you feel. But judging our own work is hard. And I’ve always found you a careful science communicator.
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Thank you, friend. That means a lot to me, coming from you.
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Hi,
Keep writing, you may surprise yourself and become that scientific writer that you really want to be.
Shalom shalom
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Thank you! I will certainly keep trying, no matter what.
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I really like what you said about the important thing just being that you communicated clearly. I really think that’s the most important part of nonfiction. Sometimes I do get frustrated when writers of nonfiction try to be too cutesy and/or don’t get to the point. So kudos to you for not doing that and for finding and filling a hole in the market.
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Yeah, I think if somebody wants to read non fiction, they probably already find the topic interesting. No need to get cutesy or try to jazz it up.
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its good to find the accurate qualities in your writing, as you do, while seeing what you can improve on. As writers, we can always find something in our past work to improve on in future work. I know I can!
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Not easy to cover science in today’s world. Brave of you. But it’s so great to FIND science in blogs and such, from people who actually know about science (as opposed to, idk, people who are paid but don’t actually know anything except who’s butt to kiss). Your blogging is important.
Happy IWSG day! I’m co-hosting this month.
“A good book gets better at the second reading. A great book at the third.” — Tyler DeVries
J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) @JLenniDorner ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge international blog hop
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To give you your due, I think sci-fi is one of the hardest genres. I tried once. Then, my writer friend put out a story in a collab and when I read it I realized she was smart as a whip and I needed to back out of the room slowly. I never went there again. I’m just not that clever. I admire you for what you’re doing. Give yourself some credit. 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. I think it’s cool that you are now a source for others in the science communication and fiction world. I always learn from you and appreciate every post you put out. You may not see it, but many of us appreciate what you’ve written.
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