Do you suck at certain aspects but excel in others?

Lunatique · Dec 5, 2011

I have noticed something about my writing. When I write introspective and emotional aspects of the story, my writing comes to life with expressive use of metaphors and descriptions. My style becomes focused and obvious. But when I write "normal" scenes of conversation, banal (but necessary) action that don't have emotional weight, my writing becomes very utilitarian and pedestrian--to the point I feel like it's written by someone else--someone who's barely a writer.

Anyone else have polarizing sides to their writing? How do you deal with it? This really bothers me because it makes my book feel a bit schizophrenic in tone/style, and I'm trying to do something about it.

Anninyn · Dec 5, 2011

Hmm. I'm not sure I excel at anything just yet (although I am apparently very good at writing awkward interpersonal interaction, and I think I'm pretty good at creating characters that seem real)

But I do know I can't write action scenes. Fights. Shipwrecks. I can picture them very clearly in my head, where they're awesome, but writing them is quite a lot harder.

I think the trick to fixing this problem is likely the same trick as fixing any problem.

1: read things that feature a lot of the thing you struggle with writing. Analyse how they're doing it.
2: get critiques, so you can see what you are doing wrong.
3: practice.
4: edit.

Lunatique · Dec 5, 2011

Anninyn said:
I think the trick to fixing this problem is likely the same trick as fixing any problem.

1: read things that feature a lot of the thing you struggle with writing. Analyse how they're doing it.
2: get critiques, so you can see what you are doing wrong.
3: practice.
4: edit.

Yeah, that's pretty much my logical solution too, but it's just very annoying to have a problem that needs a lot of work to solve in the first place. I'd have thought I'd be a better writer by age 38 (after writing for all these years). I guess not.

Manuel Royal · Dec 5, 2011

I'm good at ideas and dialogue. Suck at working out a coherent plot.

Anninyn has a good plan. I'll keep working at it.

Lunatique said:
Yeah, that's pretty much my logical solution too, but it's just very annoying to have a problem that needs a lot of work to solve in the first place. I'd have thought I'd be a better writer by age 38 (after writing for all these years). I guess not.

I'm 51. Good luck with that.

AutumnWrite · Dec 5, 2011

I think all writers have areas which are weaknesses. For me it is description. I'm fine with dialogue, and plot. The only way I've strengthened my description is as Anninyn suggested. In part, it's trial and error, and finding what works for you. Maybe some of your more "normal" scenes sound that way, because in fact they are "normal". I think getting a good crit would help immensely. Try posting something on the SYW.

I'm sure as you read books you see some authors focus more on one aspect then another. That's a matter of style. My style of writing will never be descriptive as say, Hemingway, but I wouldn't want that to happen. If your writing is strong on the emotion, that’s a good thing. It’s more important, IMO, to hook the reader with emotion.

mac3910 · Dec 5, 2011

Manuel Royal said:
I'm good at ideas and dialogue. Suck at working out a coherent plot.

Sounds familiar...

I come up with fifty ideas a day and can write dialogue and scenes easily. When it comes to being expositional and writing about characters emotions and thoughts I become very telly. My solution is to power through times when I'm just telling the reader everything. It's much easier for me to fix my problems when I go back through for an edit.

BethS · Dec 5, 2011

Lunatique said:
This really bothers me because it makes my book feel a bit schizophrenic in tone/style, and I'm trying to do something about it.

Have your critiquers said anything about this?

I ask because maybe it's not really the problem you think it is. It's not unusual to have stretches of ordinary prose. You wouldn't want all of your writing to be laden with metaphors and lyricism; those should be reserved for occasional use.

What you can do is make sure your non-metaphorical prose is still composed of good sentences, plenty of variety of length and type, and uses strong verbs and nouns.

That said, every writer has times when they feel the writing has gone flat, like all the life has gone out of it. Or like they've forgotten how to use grown-up language and are reduced to writing kindergarten sentences. I know that happens to me sometimes. It's like laryngitis of the mind.

The only solution is to keep writing and soon the voice will return. And then you can go back and fix anything that really is flat.

BethS · Dec 5, 2011

Oh, and the things I struggle with?

Dialogue. Making it meaningful, purposeful, and full of tension while keeping it real-sounding, plus not letting conversations get sidetracked--all this is challenging to me. Dialogue scenes take the longest to write, because they involve so much rewriting along the way, and so much fine-tuning.

Description and metaphorical language come much more naturally to me (though that doesn't mean I don't have to work at getting those right).

Flow is something I work very hard on--making sure that there are no disconnects between what I'm creating on the page and what the reader is experiencing. No holes where he or she can stumble; no failures of communication. No instances of something that I see in my head failing to appear on the page. And also seeing to it that action and dialogue flow in a logical sequence.

Lunatique · Dec 5, 2011

BethS said:
Have your critiquers said anything about this?

I ask because maybe it's not really the problem you think it is. It's not unusual to have stretches of ordinary prose. You wouldn't want all of your writing to be laden with metaphors and lyricism; those should be reserved for occasional use.

What you can do is make sure your non-metaphorical prose is still composed of good sentences, plenty of variety of length and type, and uses strong verbs and nouns.

That said, every writer has times when they feel the writing has gone flat, like all the life has gone out of it. Or like they've forgotten how to use grown-up language and are reduced to writing kindergarten sentences. I know that happens to me sometimes. It's like laryngitis of the mind.

The only solution is to keep writing and soon the voice will return. And then you can go back and fix anything that really is flat.

You described my problem very well. It's good to know I'm not the only one who suffers from this.

It's been a long time since I had anyone critique my writing. About 10 years ago I belonged to a writer's group, and that's about it. My family and friends couldn't be bothered--they've got more important things to do, and they're not writers. I can appreciate comments from non-writers, but for the mechanics of writing fiction, I prefer comments from people who write seriously.

I keep seeing people mention the SYW, but I haven't made an effort to try it out yet. I'll go read the rules and then post some stuff.

Allaboutwords13 · Dec 5, 2011

I'm better at what you call 'banel' scenes, rather than the descriptions. I guess everyones different.

dangerousbill · Dec 5, 2011

Lunatique said:
Anyone else have polarizing sides to their writing? How do you deal with it? This really bothers me because it makes my book feel a bit schizophrenic in tone/style, and I'm trying to do something about it.

I can't plot my way out of a paper bag, so my novels are all character-centered. I don't find that much of a problem, but I have a couple of plot-centered stories sitting on my hard drive that I'd dearly love to be able to finish.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 5, 2011

Lunatique said:
I have noticed something about my writing. When I write introspective and emotional aspects of the story, my writing comes to life with expressive use of metaphors and descriptions. My style becomes focused and obvious. But when I write "normal" scenes of conversation, banal (but necessary) action that don't have emotional weight, my writing becomes very utilitarian and pedestrian--to the point I feel like it's written by someone else--someone who's barely a writer.

Anyone else have polarizing sides to their writing? How do you deal with it? This really bothers me because it makes my book feel a bit schizophrenic in tone/style, and I'm trying to do something about it.

No way to tell without reading it, but there's a possibility that the part of your writing you like best is actually the "worst", and the part you like least is actually the "best", in the sense of writing something that will sell.

"Expressive use of metaphors and description" often pleases the writer, but displeases agents, editors, and general readers.

Anyway, I have strengths and weaknesses, but I really don't know what either are. Critics and readers say I write female characters very well, that I'm best at dialogue, good at description, and that I do humor well. I take them at their word, but I have no clue what I do well, or how I do it.

Nor any clue of what I do poorly, or why I do it poorly.

I just write it, and when it reaches the point where I like it, and can't see a way of making it better, I stop writing and submit it.

Brukaviador · Dec 5, 2011

My biggest strength tend to be dialogue. Weakness is description. My first drafts end up being full of characters and settings that people can't picture in their minds, but those characters have so many great lines. It takes a lot of work to fill in the rest in following drafts.

Hansey · Dec 5, 2011

Like some others have said, I feel most comfortable when I'm writing dialogue. I struggle with narrative. I know my characters so well that I have no trouble at all writing conversation. As soon as I need to write some narrative to set a scene, I get stuck. I sometimes feel like maybe I should be writing a screenplay instead, because a lot of my narrative ends up sounding like stage blocking. Most of my revision focuses on cleaning up the narrative.

Ken · Dec 5, 2011

... basically I just avoid the things I'm not good at and focus on what I can do well. Not being good at some things can be frustrating at times, even so :-(

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 5, 2011

Busy action, as in fight scenes, tends to trip me up. It's not that I can't do it, but it's a struggle.

SakuraReyna · Dec 5, 2011

I have a problem with description...When it comes to clothes...(oh heck, anything that isn't human)..I've been told I'm excellent at it, but in my people descriptions, I'm not faring so well. Like Stephen King says, "I don't want to give you a pimple-by-pimple skirt-by-skirt rundown..." How much of a person should you give in narrative form? What if they aren't the main character, for instance?

gothicangel · Dec 5, 2011

Love scenes . . . Ack. Which is giving me nightmares right now, as the main focus of my new WIP is a love story.

Fights, murder, torture, sex . . . that I can do, but not romance.

Probably what I love about the WIP I'm editing is the rebuilding of Roman Scotland. People's image of Roman Scotland is a pretty desolate place, so building settlements, towns and harbours was fun. It took loads of research, but it was fun.

celticroots · Dec 5, 2011

I've been told that I do well at description, showing not telling, etc, as well as raising tension, etc. I'd say that my tough areas are dialogue as well as building a coherent plot.

BethS · Dec 5, 2011

Jamesaritchie said:
No way to tell without reading it, but there's a possibility that the part of your writing you like best is actually the "worst", and the part you like least is actually the "best", in the sense of writing something that will sell.
...
I have strengths and weaknesses, but I really don't know what either are. Critics and readers say I write female characters very well, that I'm best at dialogue, good at description, and that I do humor well. I take them at their word, but I have no clue what I do well, or how I do it.

Well, one of the things that a good writer needs to develop is the ability to look critically at his or her own work, and to tell the difference between what works and what doesn't. It's a process and for some can take years, but it is possible, and something to strive for. And really, all it comes down to is learning to step outside yourself and look at the writing objectively.

The phrase "murder your darlings" has always bothered me, because it's usually interpreted as meaning, "Kill anything you think is good, because it probably isn't."

But I don't think one automatically follows the other. A writer who has developed a sharp objective eye can recognize what's good and what needs a quick amputation. Perhaps not perfectly and not every time, but certainly most of the time.

BethS · Dec 5, 2011

SakuraReyna said:
How much of a person should you give in narrative form? What if they aren't the main character, for instance?

Enough so that the reader will have a reasonably clear impression of their physical attributes. You probably don't need, or want, to do a full-fledged oil painting; a quick sketch is sufficient. And ideally, the description will be filtered through the POV of the character doing the observing, so you'll have a chance to let it say something about the POV character as well as the person being described.

Also, different people will notice different details. A woman may notice particulars of jewelry or clothing; a child may only notice the hair color and the fact that woman smells like Aunt Fannie, who wears lavender perfume.

Sunshine Cat · Dec 5, 2011

I'm good at creating interesting ideas for my plot and wordbuilding.

I'm bad at transferring them into actual actions and events in my novel.

blacbird · Dec 5, 2011

Yes. Unfortunately the things I most suck at (notably, beginnings) completely overwhelm the things I'm pretty good at. I've been aware of this for a long time, and it seems to be incurable.

caw

GFanthome · Dec 7, 2011

My strength is definitely my dialogue. I think I should've been a playwright...

LadyDae · Dec 7, 2011

Well, according to reader who are not in my family that have read some of my stuff, I'm good at romance and getting emotions across. I had no idea really. However, I suck at battle scenes. I frequently have to write them and then go back and add detail in my fantasies.

I used to be bad at incorporating detail, but I've gotten better at that.

Do you suck at certain aspects but excel in others?

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