Writing weaknesses?

thethinker42 · Mar 14, 2007

Kind of a spinoff from the "strengths" thread...

What would you say are your weaknesses in terms of your writing?

For me, dialogue. Or at least, conversations: I just have a really hard time turning a discussion into a conversation that's more than a few lines long (ie., two characters arguing over something).

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 14, 2007

Everything in between the dialog.

And now that Maryn pointed it out in another thread, comma usage, I guess.

johnzakour · Mar 14, 2007

My biggest weakness is getting to caught up in threads like this.

Truthfully, I read a study in grad school how many successful people are successful because they don't see their weaknesses therefore they don't let them get in the way.

I try to live like that now.

I am terrible at editting, spellling an grammor though.

Southern_girl29 · Mar 14, 2007

Description is my weakness. Writing newspaper stories for my day job has kept my writing very sparse. I didn't use to be that way, but I am now. I'm going to have to go back in and add description because I've left a lot of it out, some that really needs to be there.

johnzakour · Mar 14, 2007

Southern_girl29 said:
Description is my weakness. Writing newspaper stories for my day job has kept my writing very sparse. I didn't use to be that way, but I am now. I'm going to have to go back in and add description because I've left a lot of it out, some that really needs to be there.

I'm sure if I paid attention to my flaws description would be up there on the list. Hence the reason that when I do co-write I look for partners with strong descriptive skills.

I'm a gag writer at heart.

MidnightMuse · Mar 14, 2007

BIC is my biggest weakness.

Once that B hits the C, though, I'm good to go. But I could use work on some descriptive detail. Bogs me down sometimes, trying too hard. Dialog and me are great pals.

Southern_girl29 · Mar 14, 2007

MidnightMuse said:
BIC is my biggest weakness.

Once that B hits the C, though, I'm good to go. But I could use work on some descriptive detail. Bogs me down sometimes, trying too hard. Dialog and me are great pals.

I love, love, love writing dialogue. It's the description that weighs me down and brings me to a stop more than anything.

The Lady · Mar 14, 2007

Getting started. Everything after that is smooth.

Though if I was to struggle with anything, it's self doubt. Doubting every f**kin word and my ability to finish or be good enough.

Oh, and commas. B***ards. I hate them. Everyone of them.

stormie · Mar 14, 2007

Commas. Too, many, commas. It's like an addiction.

Getting into my character to the point that I become that character. And that's not always good, especially if it's a psychopath.

Will Lavender · Mar 14, 2007

Explanation of plot points.

And, on a related note: Explanation of character motive.

I'm in a pickle right now, for instance. My novel has an intricate -- some might even say "labyrinthine" -- plot, and all the characters' behaviors and the twists and the minute detail and the switchbacks have to be explained so as not to sound...cartoony.

My editor points out the parts where she gets confused, but it's so difficult to explain just enough without explaining too much.

Meerkat · Mar 14, 2007

Describing people and their environment....I assume everyone is seeing the image I already have. Of course, I'm happy to share the voices I already have, in my head, as dialogue.

BuffStuff · Mar 14, 2007

My greatest writing weakness is the snail's pace in which I work. My greatest weakness in terms of technique is probably description of settings. I treat settings too much as a mere backdrop tacked on to give the story a sense of groundedness in reality rather than as an active component to the overall story.

laurenem6 · Mar 14, 2007

Definitely description. Part of that is because even I don't know what my own characters look like, and the other part is that I don't think it's all that important. But then when I skip it and try to put it in later when I'm editing, it comes out as a boring infodump.

But I'm usually pretty good with the spelling/grammatical stuff.

Little Red Barn · Mar 14, 2007

Commas and transistion

Claudia Gray · Mar 14, 2007

I try to explain too much about what the characters think/feel instead of giving the readers credit for being able to understand this on their own. I have learned to cut it down considerably between my first and final drafts, but it is something I have to watch constantly.

Novelust · Mar 14, 2007

I can't work quickly - when I have a 5,000 word day, it turns into about 450 words I actually needed. It's easier to go slowly and make sure to get it right the first time. (Though I am in awe of y'all that can get down good prose fast.)

Also, getting on with the story. No one needs to know the history of each minor character, I don't need to try and prove I'm smart, and no, it may be a pretty description of the moon, but it takes a paragraph and it's the freaking moon - it's not like its appearance is going to confuse anyone.

maestrowork · Mar 14, 2007

My sense of humor.

Ooops, sorry, wrong thread.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 14, 2007

maestrowork said:
My sense of humor.

Ooops, sorry, wrong thread.

No, no. I think you are in the right thread.

I remembered my other weakness. I can't melt down my story into a decent query or synopsis. They come out stilted and forced.

scarletpeaches · Mar 14, 2007

Dialogue attribution, which is easily fixed. Apart from that, I'm perfect.

Memnon624 · Mar 14, 2007

Procrastination. I fully plan on putting of my death until the next day or the day after. A close second would be beginnings. I dither. I dawdle. I procrastinate like a Spartan in August . . .

Scott (who has seen 300 once too often)

Diviner · Mar 14, 2007

Differentiation of character voices. Also, banal word choices in general. Too much essay writing in grad school has given me a dry, academic voice I have to fight all the time. I wish I could figure out a way to combat this. I had thought writing poetry would help, but it just distracts me.

laurenem6 · Mar 14, 2007

Shadow_Ferret said:
I remembered my other weakness. I can't melt down my story into a decent query or synopsis. They come out stilted and forced.

I think everyone has trouble with that.

AnnieColleen · Mar 14, 2007

Plotting. And beginnings, and endings. And procrastination -- well, no, I'm good at that!

PeeDee · Mar 14, 2007

Comfortably going from short story to novel length. I'm not a natural novel-length writer, and it's taken work to get somewhat passable at it.

Rich · Mar 14, 2007

I've searched my soul. I just can't find any weaknesses.

However, I'm still in the process of searching for my soul.

Writing weaknesses?

Abnormal Romance Author

Court Jester

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Dangerous with a Keyboard

Midnight Reading

Critical Member

storm central

Everything is what it seems.

Claims the loan was a gift

No more being nice to Pee D

haz own threads

*Does not molest books.

Fear the Death Ray

Court Jester

A Boy and his Orc . . .

Invisible Writer

Where's my tea, please...?