Writing: Weaknesses

[Selena_Kitt]

The "strengths" thread got me to thinking... what are my weaknesses?

what do you think you need to work on as a writer?

For me, it's description, more attention to language (I like the same phrases, I need to tap into that inner poet more) and detail.

You?

 

[hugo_sam]

Now this thread I can really post to:

Writing ability or total lack thereof
Descriptions
Detail
The Abiliity to write a good sex scene (ain't that great at a porn site)
Ability to write a short 'stroker' (last one of those I started is over 3K words now)
Number one pretty much covers it all, yup!

 

[cloudy]

All my characters sound southern: the cadence of their speech, etc.

Wonder why?

 

[impressive]

Passive voice.

I can write -- and write well -- without it, but it really slows me down when I concentrate on avoiding its use.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

Today, I'm just going to say every fucking thing is my weakness. This is what happens to me when I start worrying about being a good enough writer and stop having fun.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Punctuation?.,;:

 

[dr_mabeuse]

Plot. It's the last thing I think of, and sometimes it never develops at all. I write situations, not stories.

Patience. I've been writing novels and they're rarely longer than about 30,000 words, which is short for a novel. I just can't sustain a sex story for longer than that. 4 or 5 sex scenes are all you need to tell the story of a relationship, and anything more seems superfulous. I have no patience for sub-plots and complications. I want everything to be good stuff.

I have a lot of stories that might have been really good if I'd just put them away for a month or two and then come back to them, but I never have the patience for that either.

Dialog. I can do it okay, but I always worry about it. I get the feeling it comes terribly easy for some people. It doesn't come easy for me.

Discouragement. I get discouraged too easily. It's tied up with my hyper-criticality. I'm never satisfied with anything I write.

 

[Varian P]

Narrative voice and POV.

I tend to switch POV rather frequently, and don't always pull off making the narrative voice express the personality of the character whose POV is being used.

I also struggle with giving characters a unique voice, whether in narration or dialogue.

I'm also guilty of trotting out my pet phrases over and over and over and over again.

Concision isn't my strong suit, either. I truly envy writers who can get across a compelling story and make me feel something in a few dense pages.

 

[AppleBiter]

Does never having the fucking time to write count as a weakness? Now that I have the time (well, sort of) because it's Christmas break, I have a nice case of writer's block. Ugh. I haven't written for this site since April and I'm beginning to wonder if I ever will again. What a mess.

Damn it. Now, I'm all pissed off. I'm gonna' go find the strengths thread.

 

[Varian P]

I'm never satisfied with anything I write.

If you could just work on that patience thing, then never being satisfied with anything you write should be a swell authorial asset.

 

[English Lady]

Grammar. Grammar is by biggest downfall -I am crap with it. I don't GET it at all. I'm picking things up as i go along (very slowly) but I still understand very little of why certain things are written in a certain way.

tense, I swop back and forth between tenses all the time, and it's a bugger when i have to edit all in to one tense..I wish i could just write in one tense straight off!

 

[simply_cyn]

To many thing to mention ...

I tend to just "write" ... many times it's just an outlet for me; a way to let out what's bottled up inside. Sometimes it comes out in the form of a poem or a story or just ... crap.

Sometimes I wonder why anyone even reads it.

 

[Alex756]

I'm with Dr M in the plot boat.

I am still very questionable on if my plot for my NaNo novel is strong enough or too weak and if it needs something.

Dialog I feel I never have enough. I really have tried to increase my dailog but in my writing I often seem to have one character on their own. Tell me THAT doesn't suck considering the site

~Alex

 

[BlackShanglan]

I'm joining Alex and Dr. M in the plot boat, although I do feel like I am making some strides. At least, I'm working on my process and method and think I have some better ideas now about how to make plot, character, and theme work together. We shall see.

Too much sex. I am trying to break out of the habit of writing in order to achieve the sex scene, which I think a bad one. I don't mind writing just sex scenes now and then, but I've got some pieces that I want to be stories that happen to have sex, not stories heavily distorted by the drive to get to the sex.

Ah yes. There is that last one, too: excessive verbosity.

Shanglan

 

[rgraham666]

I'm rather a bit of a wordy bastard. Too often, I put stuff into a story that does little to advance the plot or characters.

Luckily, I have a good editor who is slowly beating that out of me.

 

[Alex De Kok]

Any more room in that plot boat? For anything more than about 10k words, I start meandering. I can hold a short story together, but longer ones sink me. Apart from that, description, and the tendency to waffle. (As an ex-Civil Servant, I reckon I could waffle for England!)

Alex

 

[Guest]

 

[impressive]

To have weaknesses as a writer, you need to be a writer first.

That is the distinction I make between writer and author.

 

[drksideofthemoon]

My Weaknesses?

Dyslexia. I am slightly dyslexic, and I tend to leave words, or letters out, and it is hell for me to try to find them. My brain automatically puts the missing word, or letter in as I read it over, and over, and over. It's only when it is submitted that I tend to notice it.

 

[Alex756]

Any more room in that plot boat? For anything more than about 10k words, I start meandering. I can hold a short story together, but longer ones sink me. Apart from that, description, and the tendency to waffle. (As an ex-Civil Servant, I reckon I could waffle for England!)

Alex

Maybe we should arrange a group discount on a cruise?

The worst feeling is when someone asks you, so what is it -about- and you're like ... ummm, well see ...

~Alex (of the girlie variety)

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

On the "strength" thread I listed dialogue and possibly humor.

So for this "weakness" thread I'd say, oh, everything else.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Dialogue. I don't speak much IRL and it shows in my character's dialogue.

Happy endings. I can write without them, but I rarely do.

I'm a bit on the wordy side too.

 

[BlackShanglan]

But we you when you're prolix.

I you for knowing and using the word "prolix."

 

[Guest]

 

[simulacre]

I’m not sure that I can recognise objectively my strengths and weaknesses but here are things that have been pointed out to me and that I now keep an eye on:

Being too literary. I need to be reminded of that on a regular basis (thanks Og ). I’m pulling my hair trying to figure out how to tone it down and reach a wider audience. At the moment it comes out like that naturally and I’m not sure how to deal with it (structure? vocabulary?). I need to unlearn some of the things I was taught.

Punctuation. I need to keep an eye out for it always and still have to read my stories out loud to double check it and correct the rhythm.

Poetic license. I allow myself a lot, perhaps too much, taking words slightly out of context to create an image (sensations become tousled, a word that should be applied to a water element might be applied to an air element, etc.). I do that voluntarily but realise now that it might throw off the reader slightly. I rely on images perhaps too much as well, especially in the sex scenes.

Length. This one used to be my principal weakness. I added too much details, what should have been a 3000 words story easily became a 10 000 words story. It seems to be getting under control slowly as I pick up confidence in my pen but I still have to ask myself often whether details I’ve put in are really necessary.

Relying on the reader’s will to suspend his belief and follow my lead blindly. I could make my plots tighter, put a little more work into the reason for events happening, or characters behaving, a certain way, close all the other possibilities. Is it laziness on my part?