Have any respected writers published an embarrassing, cringeworthy, poorly written book or short story in their early 20s but still gone on to write books of high quality?
I am close to giving up over after having a story published which makes me cringe every time I am randomly reminded of it.
Hawthorne published a novel called Fanshawe in his early twenties and later tried to suppress it. I haven't read it though, so I'm not sure if it's really that bad
>I am close to giving up over after having a story published which makes me cringe every time I am randomly reminded of it.
Who cares? It's part of the process of growth. Look up "your favourite director" + "first short film" if you want a lol
>tfw it has its own Wikipedia entry
I'm doomed.
But even in juvenilia there is usually often some kernel of talent, something at least that suggests the artist has some great talent that just needs to be refined. My story, on the other hand, was published largely due to a lack of competition and literally reads like the wailing of a deluded autistic incel.
Bumping before I go to bed.
Any further responses much appreciated.
Sounds like you're really wanking off your self-loathing boner, just put it out of your mind and keep doing what you do
Are you that same poster from before?
Just use a penname or something. At least you GOT published.
>my real name
Change your name.
who cares, just own up to your cringy shitty early writing like a true chad
Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise is a shit book if there ever was one and The Luzhin Defense by Nabokov was horrid as well.
no, they made their masterpieces in their early 20s and went on to produce embarrassing, poorly written stuff. or that's how that usually goes.
Just use an alias or pseudonym if you are that worried about it. Borges did it
I hate to break it to you, but you're not important enough yet for anyone to care about anything you write. You're just not. All writers produce file cabinets full of immature shit until they hit artistic maturity. Honestly OP just google "[a writer you like] juvenilia" and have yourself a laugh, Shelley's is particularly awful
sure there are, you just don't know because they're hidden so well
But seriously, folks.
Plus, you don't want to peak too early. Look at Orson Welles.
>Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise
Fighting words.
Not necessarily, they may have written shit but what if they never published any of it.
People killed themselves in tribute because this book was so good, and he was only 25 when it came out!
tell us what book it was.
Almost every writer has "juvenilia"
What do you mean? I haven't published any book, but I do have a short story online which is the only thing on the internet associated with me, and it's both cringeworthy and poorly written. I wrote it in a rush, in 2-3 days, for the sake of meeting a deadline and it ended up being chosen for publication. But anyone reading it would likely assume that the author (me) is a deeply troubled, psychologically retarded, perhaps even sinister and dangerous individual. It reads like the poorly articulated voice of Generation Incel.
Pynchon's early works were a bit cringey but still well written
sounds awesome please link it
Is this the story about the incel who idolizes some girl and ends up stalking her?
it's kind of disheartening to see juvenalia type works that authors I admire have dismissed, because even though I can see some of the shortcomings myself, I would still kill to be able to write that well
It's actually the norm for most authors, user. In MFA programs, students are handed out summaries of a book about a guy who gets brain damaged and cuckolded and then marries a retarded girl, all in the last week of his life. That book was Faulkner's first, and the point of reading the summary is that you shouldn't be trying to write To The Lighthouse or Dubliners or Mason & Dixon on your first run through.
You stupid piece of shit, his best work came at the end of his career and all that changed was his greater love for food, wine, and Shakespeare.
F for Fake (1973) is peak Welles (not counting Paul Mason commercial).
Fat Welles > Chad Welles.