I've just dragged out my first novel hidden away in a closet for a peek. I took pictures and posted them on my blog here if you want to check it out. It was horrible but eye opening because it wasn't as horrible as I thought. I mean the dialogue was cheesy but there were glimmers of what I was becoming. The quirky style I was trying to develop was there. I think the main frustration in sucking is thinking that translating your vision has failed. But maybe it's important to have that failure to see what does and doesn't work.
Absolutely true! This is why value judgment critiques ("This sucks" or "This is awesome!") are useless. Writing is the quintessential "if at first you don't succeed" endeavor.
Because you are your own worst critic is why I think it's so important to have a few people reading your stuff before you call it good and send it off. Someone who can stand on the outside looking in, and definitely someone who is not afraid to tell you what they think may be wrong with it (if anything). I use my wife and oldest son to help me with that. I make myself very approachable and open minded when hearing their criticisms so they're not afraid to give me any.
