It may surprise the non-writers on my flist to know that we writers read our own work. And not always in an editing or proofing or self-critical capacity -- though that certainly has its place and is probably always at the back of our minds somewhere. What I'm referring to is the regular revisiting of stories past, approaching one's own work like any other reader -- seeking entertainment or comfort or new ideas.

The further I get from a piece, the less likely I am to reread it, usually because my writerly style has migrated enough that my old writing self is irritating or simplistic or sentimental when I take the time to reread. I only rarely reread my SV fic, and when I do it's mostly the later work. (True confession: I can't get through even a page of my SV magnum opus Omiai anymore without sighing with frustration and regret. I know. Weird.)

Still, a little distance can be a good thing. I'm scrolling through Wanted today. It's one of my first fics in SGA. I haven't looked at in yonks. And just like rereading the work of any writer I know well, I'm finding little bits I'd forgotten: things that make me smile, and things that make me cringe, and things that I enjoy more in retrospect than I did at the time of writing. I can see, now comfortably ensconced in the SGA fandom, the points of originality I may have inadvertently brought forward, as well as the painful fanon tropes I've thoughtlessly abused.

It probably sounds like vanity, and it *is*, to some degree; after all, I'm approaching my own writing as entertainment, which makes it seem like I'm congratulating myself on a job well done. But really, I think it's more because writers tend to write the things they enjoy reading.

My taste in reading corresponds with what I aspire to as a writer: the mixture of drama and humour is the biggest thing, followed by detailed and truthful characterizations. Something that really comes from being in fandom, as well as the unabashed prompting of my lovely SV flist, is my love of subverted cliches or tropes (fanon or canon, it doesn't matter) -- particularly when the subversion reveals new truths in the characters. I suppose this is best illustrated in my work by Straight as a Circle, but it's a theme that runs through all my writing from Omiai onwards. And it's definitely something I enjoy reading -- there is nothing so refreshing as a writer who takes something like "of course John is a sekrit math genius" and turns it into "John cries with frustration at Sudoku puzzles", and makes it *work*.

This is not to say that I am capable of writing in the style of every writer I admire or enjoy -- far from it! It's only that I think writers tend to write about the stuff that interests and entertains them, and maybe it's not surprising that we sometimes kick back and enjoy the fruits of our labour just like any reader might do.