What do you consider your weak point(s) as a writer?

[PaulX35]

Triggered by The Sandman's "trademark-thread" obviously. Being a bit of a freshman still, I'm not even sure if I already have a proper picture of myself in terms of strengths and weaknesses. So far I've heard I'm not too bad at dialogue, which is considered a harder part of writing, and I'm good at constructing a story/plot. Not being a native speaker of English I do hit upon my limitations language-wise, problems I will have to sail around now and then.

What would be interesting as well is how you avoid weaknesses, provided you're aware of them.

Would love to hear some thoughts.

Paul

 

[Svenskaflicka]

My weak spot is that I take my writing very personal, and therefor I can't write a story if it doesn't excite me.

I know a lot of people would love to read about two lesbian twin sisters going to a christian summer camp for girls, and seducing every girl in the camp, but I can't write it.

I know a lot of people would love to read about girls having sex with their own fathers, but I can't write it.

I know a lot of people would love to read about snobby cheerleaders "getting what they deserve" by a gang of pissed-off, turned-down-once-too-many, dorky-but-beefy nerds, but I can't write it.

If it doesn't excite me, I can't write about it. I know, because I have tried. There are a couple of stories here that I'm responsible for, and I'm not proud of them. I only wrote them for the Survivor points.

That's my weak spot. I can't write about ANY subject.

 

[English Lady]

i have many weak spots I am sure, and my readers are probably more qualified to point them out to you than I am but I do know that i write in local dialect. It is not greatly noticeable because i run everything through the spell/grammar check , but some of them pass straight through. Most people read them as change in tense, when really it's just the way i learnt my language. For example I would say

"I was stood outside the door" when standard english calls for "standing"

I am aware of it now and i do my best to standardise my writing but sometimes they still slip through!

 

[Sabledrake]

Writing the outline or synopsis when submitting a book. Ugh. I hate that part. Never been good at it.

Keeping under a word limit. Never been much good at that, either.

Sabledrake

 

[LGL]

being so new to writing I am sure I have tons of weak points. the two most fustrating are puncuation and runon sentences. In myu defense I am 32 years old with no formal education after high school and it has been nearly 12 years since I have had anything to do with english class.

Hopefully my time here and wroking with editors will help me improve.

 

[KillerMuffin]

My weak spots....

I have trouble with transitions. I try too hard with them so they're perfect, but they always suck when I do that.

I have trouble with comma fault errors. I know better, but I do it anyway.

My plots are weak; they don't get enough forethought. I should say used to not get enought forethought.

These are things that have been pointed out to me by various editors etc.

In my own personal view, my weak spots are my agressiveness (tell Muffie she did something wrong only when you're wearing your asbestos underpants) and my current apathy.

 

[KillerMuffin]

being so new to writing I am sure I have tons of weak points. the two most fustrating are puncuation and runon sentences. In myu defense I am 32 years old with no formal education after high school and it has been nearly 12 years since I have had anything to do with english class.

Hopefully my time here and wroking with editors will help me improve.

A quick trick that works for shortstory writing. Read your work out loud when you're done with it. Breathe only when you have a period. When you feel uncomfortable speaking, your sentence is a runon. When you have a natural pause in the flow of your sentence, put in a comma. Part of the time the comma will be wrong--you'll need a semi-colon instead--but most of the time you'll be right.

Don't do it immediately after writing it. Wait a day or two.

 

[Whispersecret]

My weaknesses as a writer:

--procrastination, speed
--revising something to death
--overstating/repeating
--too much "purple," especially during sex scenes
--an inability to come up with spot-on similies as often as I'd like
--transitions, or how to get from point A to point B without describing every single thing between

I'm sure there are more, but I have to go to work.

 

[wildsweetone]

a) Plotting. I don't plot. I can't plot. When I did plot, it sucked. The stories were way too weak.

b) I don't know half the names for the correct grammar useage. I didn't pay attention during schooling. I apologise in advance for my lack of knowledge though, and say to the authors I edit for, that I just go by feeling.

c) I don't wait long enough after finishing a story before I jump in and edit it. Which ultimately means I don't pick up obvious missing details. I tend to write in a minimalistic way, expecting the reader to know what I meant to say.


wildsweetone

 

[Couture]

Weak points? What are those?

I'm kidding, but seriously, after seventy odd stories and chapters, coming up with new original stuff is the hardest thing.

 

[karmadog]

Atrocious handwriting.

In a totalitarian country, my penmanship teacher would be hunted down and shot as an enemy of the state.

 

[daisie]

Writing the outline or synopsis when submitting a book. Ugh. I hate that part. Never been good at it.

Keeping under a word limit. Never been much good at that, either.

Sabledrake

It took me ten weeks to write my first novel.

It took five months to come up with a damn title.

AAAAAAAAARGGHGHHHH

On the other hand, when I decided to give up and write full time, I trained myself to write flash fiction (under 1000 words). It was great training. I worked my way up.

D

 

[daisie]

being so new to writing I am sure I have tons of weak points. the two most fustrating are puncuation and runon sentences. In myu defense I am 32 years old with no formal education after high school and it has been nearly 12 years since I have had anything to do with english class.

Hopefully my time here and wroking with editors will help me improve.

The best thing you can do is read your ass off.

I didn't go to college, either.

D

 

[daisie]

A quick trick that works for shortstory writing. Read your work out loud when you're done with it.

I read everything I write aloud to my husband and edit as I go. It's amazing, the things your eye will skip over.

This has been especially helpful to me in repeating words.

D

 

[daisie]

I'm kidding, but seriously, after seventy odd stories and chapters, coming up with new original stuff is the hardest thing.

Every once in awhile I notice that my different works are getting too similar. That's when I know it's time to:

Take a road trip
Read a magazine I wouldn't normally read cover to cover
Learn something new

D

 

[hogjack]

Weak points as a writer

I have difficulty with nouns, adverbs, and my penchant for ending every story by the main characters being trapped in a house surrounded by zombies.

At this point I may go back to my first love, rodeo.

 

[MathGirl]

Weakness

I believe that my greatest weakness is that I have no strengths.

I'm thinking of returning to my first love, sumo wrestling.

 

[sweetnpetite]

getting started and finishing! basicly I'm a big procrastinator. I don't have that much of a problem when writing erotic fiction because it sort of drives itself. I mean, the climax of the story IS the climax. Probably the hardest thing for me is that I have too many ideas, so I have to settle on one and actually BEGIN. Otherwise, my biggest weakness would be finishing my work that is NOT erotic, you know the drudgery. Discipline. I'm working on that!!!!

My greatest strennth would probably be that I have a great imagination and a real desire to be original. (although, I do use some tried and true themes. I like to give it my own twist.)

 

[sweetnpetite]

Math Girl wrote:

I believe that my greatest weakness is that I have no strengths.

I'm thinking of returning to my first love, sumo wrestling.

**********

I hope your kidding!!! everybody has strengths. have you been getting little or bad feedback? or are you just playing????

 

[MathGirl]

I hope your kidding!!! everybody has strengths. have you been getting little or bad feedback? or are you just playing???? [/B]

Just kidding. At under five feet and under ninety pounds, I wouldn't make much of a sumo wrestler.

Oh, I get plenty of feedback. There's a feedback thread on here where I've discussed that. It's fun.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Just kidding. At under five feet and under ninety pounds, I wouldn't make much of a sumo wrestler.

Oh, I get plenty of feedback. There's a feedback thread on here where I've discussed that. It's fun.

Thats good to know! I'm under 5 feet tall too. 4'10 1/2 to be exact. I do weigh more than 90 pounds though. (I think! I don't own a scale) I where size 4 jeans, so I guess I wouldn't make much of a sumo wrestler either, but someone here will probably suggest mud-wrestling for the two of us! (Hey, story idea! Do you do colaborations?)

 

[MathGirl]

Runts

Thats good to know! I'm under 5 feet tall too. 4'10 1/2 to be exact. I do weigh more than 90 pounds though. (I think! I don't own a scale) I where size 4 jeans, so I guess I wouldn't make much of a sumo wrestler either, but someone here will probably suggest mud-wrestling for the two of us! (Hey, story idea! Do you do colaborations?)

Hey, how's the weather up there? You're a half inch taller than I am. I'm not sure that female midget mud wrestling would have much box office appeal. Maybe female midget sumo wrestling? Naw.

Shopped for size two narrow shoes lately? They have a nice selection for sixth graders.

As if my size wasn't handicap enough, I'm also left handed. Life just isn't fair.

 

[TheEarl]

Dialogue definitely. And maybe getting my characters to be bastards. I'm a nice guy, so they turn out to be nice guys too.

The Earl

 

[karmadog]

I'm not sure that female midget mud wrestling would have much box office appeal. Maybe female midget sumo wrestling? Naw.

Are you kidding?

I used to date a girl who was 4' 11" that had an ass that would make J Lo jealous.

She would have been adorable in one of those sumo diapers.

OOO and that wedgie. *drooling*

 

[MathGirl]

She would have been adorable in one of those sumo diapers.
OOO and that wedgie. *drooling*

Well, now we know who our resident pervert is. Congratulations, KDog.