What's your strength?

otterman · Aug 25, 2008

In the better part of a year since I signed on here at AW I've been impressed by how many talented writers spend time sharing their opinions, tapping into the wealth of knowledge of their peers, or just having fun with people who share their love of writing. I've also come to realize that almost everyone, from the established pro to the newbie in pursuit of published bliss, has strengths that they bring to their writing that impress, inspire, and entertain those who read their work.

So my question is: what do you do really well? Are you a master of dialogue? A world-building wizard? A mechanical genius? What do readers of your work marvel at and writers envy?

Horn tooting permitted and encouraged.

Seaclusion2 · Aug 25, 2008

Character developement. My characters come to life (I hope) for the readers. I sometimes over describe them, but they are always understandable, compelling, and rich with emotion. This goes for my villians as well as the heroes.

Richard

superman skivvies · Aug 25, 2008

I'm good at witty dialogue, creating bizarre characters, and making interesting situations from nothing. My weakness is endurance--I've never been able to write long passages or scenes; everything is very short and fast paced. Sometimes that can be good, but other times it's hard when I know I should be elaborating more.

Donkey · Aug 25, 2008

I have a lot of fun with dialogue. I also think I'm good at creating distinctly different, believable characters. What's really cool is that this was the area that I was most worried about being any good at.

roncouch · Aug 25, 2008

Not much of a horn tooter, but I believe I know people quite well, and am able to draw from personal experience with thousands of individuals and transpose my thoughts into meaningful characters who appear in my manuscripts (changed somewhat, of course to avoid litigation.) My works of fiction deal with the auto industry - how it was, how it is, what it's going to be, and why. That theme, plus the age-old good vs evil plot keeps me writing.

Clair Dickson · Aug 25, 2008

I think it's dialogue that I do best. That combined with witty internal commentary by my MC are my favorites and seem to get me the most praise.

MelodyO · Aug 25, 2008

I'm good with the turn of a phrase, although that's a lot easier with short stories than novels. It's harder to be witty and pithy and fresh and unusual for 90,000 words OMG.

I'm also very good at sex scenes. It's both a blessing and a curse.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 25, 2008

I'm not good at anything but wasting bandwidth.

And one day I'll stop wasting everyone's time here.

FOTSGreg · Aug 25, 2008

Scientific detail and internal consistency of that detail are probably my best strengths.

Shweta · Aug 25, 2008

Perseverance.

Oh, I do some things well, and apparently I even make them look natural/easy occasionally, but I've sweated for every one of them.
There's not a single thing I'm proud of that I could do when I first started writing, from concept down to word choice. And I know I have a long way to go yet, but I've started.

OctoberRain · Aug 26, 2008

I think my narrative is strong. I try to tell the story as if I'm whispering in your ear. I want it to feel intimate, and put you right there where it's all happening.

It's possible I'm deluded but you asked.

JimmyB27 · Aug 26, 2008

Procrastination. I've yet to find a use for this particular skill.

Priene · Aug 26, 2008

I construct good sentences.

Robert Toy · Aug 26, 2008

JimmyB27 said:
Procrastination. I've yet to find a use for this particular skill.

Procrastination…can we discuss it later?

My strongest and weakest point – use of sarcasm, being a SOB (Sarcastic Old Bugger) in real life makes for interesting dialog, but too often really sounds like me and pisses people off.

GAS factor = minus 23

Moonfish · Aug 26, 2008

Readers have told me I build very vivid scenes. They've said they can really be present in the worlds I have created.

Also I am apparently good at keeping the reader hooked, wanting to find out what will happen. It's a skill I am really glad I have and I am sure it's contributed to me being published, but I sure wish I knew how I do it so I could be sure to reproduce it every time...

Manderley · Aug 26, 2008

My greatest strength is that I'm able to get a little better with each novel I write. And that's a darn good thing, cause my first one was a real onion fart of a book.

CaroGirl · Aug 26, 2008

Warning: Going through a patch of low self-esteem right at the moment.

Strength: I can put a stamp on a query envelope straight.

Weakness: My writing.

Phaeal · Aug 26, 2008

I can use the word "ichor" in a complete sentence, and I even know what it means.

Mr Flibble · Aug 26, 2008

sheer bloodymindedness.

KTC · Aug 26, 2008

I don't have a strength. I am weak at everything. There are degrees of weakness.

Stew21 · Aug 26, 2008

When we discussed this before I didn't have an answer.

Surprise! I still don't.

cray · Aug 26, 2008

What's your strength?

economy

Sassee · Aug 26, 2008

First person PoV. I'm pretty good at it. I think.

I've discovered I'm also pretty good at playing around with the dialogue that's already there, taking perhaps five lines and making it twenty, while still making it look natural to both the story and the characters.

Now if only I could do that with the rest of my prose...

tehuti88 · Aug 26, 2008

I believe I'm good at characterization, including getting at the real motives and personalities of characters that most people would immediately despise without a second thought and making them sympathetic in their own way. It's something I don't even have to try or work hard at because they're just like people who have been in my head all along, and me, I'm only here telling their stories. When I write I learn things about them that surprise even me. It's like I'm not even making it up--they are.

I can't say that I am good at this though, just that I think I am. I haven't kept any readers long enough to really say if I'm any good at anything. I really don't think anybody marvels at or envies me.

qwerty · Aug 26, 2008

I can dialogue the hind legs off a donkey. Probably because my early writing was in the form of stage scripts, which is probably why I struggle with straight narrative.

Somehow, Mellissa exits stage left as Fairy Godfather emerges from trapdoor in a puff of pink smoke just doesn't cut it in a novel.

What's your strength?

Word Voyeur

Extraneous Comma Slayer

Wannabe Writer

The Couchmeister

A dark core to every cloud

Waiting for love on the web

Court Jester

Today is your last day.

gone

I triple dog dare you.

Hoopy frood

Out to lunch

FOB and Slayer of windmills

Slowly does it.

Living the dream

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Superior Life form

Momma Wolf

Mackinac Island Fanatic

exiled Brit