Where I'm weak

I just realized something about my writing. I do that, you know, analyze my style, constantly learn, try to re-invent myself and challenge myself.

I do a good job of dialogue, I think. No, I know I do a good job at it. The dialogue's real, genuine, easy-to-read, flowing, and well-spent. When I hit a dialogue section, I bang out 1,500 words an hour, easy.

I do a decent job of moving scenery. Heck, I don't know what you'd call it. Descriptive prose, perhaps. I keep it simple. In some ways I'm a minimalist. I keep it simple. I try not to over-describe. I try to describe in pieces, small bites, rather than stuff one huge bolus of description down the reader's gullet!

Gag.

I do all right with humor. I can hold someone's attention.

I can think of original topics and unique perspectives.

I can write and write and write. That's called being verbose, prolific. I have a substantial word count under me, now. I'm a ~writer~.

I avoid cliches. I avoid weasel words and abuse grammar sparingly.

I proof-read. I re-read. I re-write.

All these things I'm good at, but let me tell you my weaknesses.

Actions scenes stump me. I don't know why, but they're a weakness in my repertoire. I need to beef those up, find me an action author and chip out how they do it.

So many action writers are cheesy, though. I'm not a rat, and I don't like cheese in my words. I'm self-conscious about my action scenes. I should practice some. Maybe I'll write one this week and post it, see how it goes.

I'm also weak on plotting.

Did I say, Weak?

Nay. I suck. I'm terrible! Plotting ~destroys~ the worms. They can't dig when I think too far ahead, or if I write it down in advance. I have an idea of where I'm going, sure, but if I write it on flash cards, I can never stick to it.

That's how I got stuck on New Texas. I had this Excel spreadsheet with character lists, plots, sub-plots, settings, details, maps, the whole shitful in a ballcap.

I'm also pretty good at making up new -isms. Shitful in a ballcap. That's a good one!

Anyway, I stink at plotting. I've decided that's just something I cannot have in my writing. It's too constrictive. I'm like a worm in a potted plant -- I can't dig dig DIG! Not with the restrictive walls of a plot!

And God help me if I hit an action scene. I got stuck for a week on one action scene last week. Stuck. 500 words, and I could NOT bang them out.

On the action, I need practice.

On the plotting, though, restricting my characters to a predestined path... well, here, wear this ballcap.


- Eric