As a medievalist, I know that we always draw on pre-existing works, ideas--nothing new under the sun. As a fanfic writer, I occasionally worry that I'm taking something I've read somewhere before and forgotten that I read it before, and so I'm forgetting to credit it. Mostly, though, I trust someone will tell me if I've done that, and that I have enough new stuff to make it worthwhile even if I do have to add a credit or two.
My real anxiety comes in my professional work. By the time I'm ready to deliver a conference paper, I've been over it so much I'm sure there's nothing new in it and it's really stupid and obvious. I think part of the problem I'm having right now with my monograph is that I keep thinking, "Well, that's already been done, so I'll have to find a new angle" and reading more, partly to make sure my new angle hasn't been done already, and partly to be sure I haven't missed anything contradicting (or helping) my new angle. Then I wonder if I've got an argument at all, or if, again, it's just obvious.
It really hits me with the papers, because I deliver those in front of an audience, so I'm afraid the first question will be, "Didn't you read X, which already covered the whole matter better than you did?" It hasn't happened yet, though!
My concern may seem remote from yours, but I think identifying your writing as "missed opportunities" really works for both: I write episode tags because I felt something wasn't treated enough in an episode. I write my academic articles and papers because I feel something has been overlooked: not treated, or not treated with a particularly useful approach, or sometimes just plain done wrong.
I still have the anxiety, but I now get it mostly in a fairly narrow window before giving the paper (it goes away with the excitement of the session starting so that I'm not too petrified to deliver the paper!); it doesn't bother me that much with fic. Now if I can just get rid of it with my scholarly book-to-be....
You're not alone, and I think it's normal and does get better with age.
no subject
My real anxiety comes in my professional work. By the time I'm ready to deliver a conference paper, I've been over it so much I'm sure there's nothing new in it and it's really stupid and obvious. I think part of the problem I'm having right now with my monograph is that I keep thinking, "Well, that's already been done, so I'll have to find a new angle" and reading more, partly to make sure my new angle hasn't been done already, and partly to be sure I haven't missed anything contradicting (or helping) my new angle. Then I wonder if I've got an argument at all, or if, again, it's just obvious.
It really hits me with the papers, because I deliver those in front of an audience, so I'm afraid the first question will be, "Didn't you read X, which already covered the whole matter better than you did?" It hasn't happened yet, though!
My concern may seem remote from yours, but I think identifying your writing as "missed opportunities" really works for both: I write episode tags because I felt something wasn't treated enough in an episode. I write my academic articles and papers because I feel something has been overlooked: not treated, or not treated with a particularly useful approach, or sometimes just plain done wrong.
I still have the anxiety, but I now get it mostly in a fairly narrow window before giving the paper (it goes away with the excitement of the session starting so that I'm not too petrified to deliver the paper!); it doesn't bother me that much with fic. Now if I can just get rid of it with my scholarly book-to-be....
You're not alone, and I think it's normal and does get better with age.