Thread: Is being labeled as a prolific writer good?

I've been told that I am a prolific writer and I shouldn't be. My writing is in the context and form of a complaint.

Hell yeah it's good.
But to be prolific you gotta have a lot of good writing out (If I remember correctly).

I think it just means that you produce a lot of written work. I'm not aware of it having either a negative or positive connotation. I have definitely heard it used positively though.

>>Prolific = Volume....>>Producing writing in large quantities/high frequency.......>>Whether its positive or negative ~ If the continuous flow of writing coming from the person is classed as good, then yes, its good...

Yes, a prolific writer has simply written a lot. I think the person who said that about you was trying to say you had written too much in a single instance; not exactly the correct use of "prolific," but that should help you interpret it.

Whoever told you that isn't very good with English, methinks.

I don't think there's anything wrong with being prolific, as long as you're turning out good writing. I think that would be the fantasy of a lot of writers, in fact!

However, if you've been told you're prolific and shouldn't be, I think maybe whoever is critiquing you is concerned that you're not spending enough time crafting your stories before you move on to the next one.

Ultimately, only you can decide when a story is "finished", or when it's time to start the next , but I've often found my best writing comes through when I let something "simmer" in the back of my mind for awhile. By that, I mean I write out my rough draft, then let it sit for a few days. I always find flat-out mistakes and lots of things I want to change when I do that.

My suggestion to you would be to try that. Write a rough draft, but instead of showing it to people right away, set it aside and move on to your next one. Then, when the second one is underway, go back and take a look at the first to see if anything obvious should be changed.

It's a cliche, but good writing is about about rewriting, just as much as inspiration.

I've never heard of anyone being told not to be a prolific writer. Are you sure it's not somebody that's just jealous? "Prolific" just means you produce a lot of written material. If your critic thinks you need to self-edit more, or slow down the quantity in order to improve the quality, that's another issue. In general, though, most successful writers seem to say that they wouldn't have become successful if they hadn't written -- a lot!
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