Bardothren
Muddling along somehow
- 8,645
- Posts
- 9
- Years
- Age 29
- In my room
- Seen Jan 3, 2020
A day late again. I forgot I had a play to attend yesterday, and that ate up a four hour chunk of my time. Well, I'm here now, and if I'm being honest, I'm running out of ideas for this thing. I'll probably switch over to a different blog soon, something broader and more general. For now, though, I've decided to tackle some introspection; both in tips to find your own path and my own exploration of my identity as an author.
It's been another uneventful weak... spring break's right around the corner and I've almost finished a chemistry project I've been working on for months. So, on to the main attraction.
I think the best way to find your strong and weak points is to analyze what you read. The literature we're exposed to has an incredible impact on the type of writing we produce. In a way, it's a positive feedback loop - what people consider to be good literature is in turn produced by its readers. What genres do you prefer? What draws you most into a story? What genres turn you away, and why?
As for myself, I grew up reading numerous fantasy books, including Tolkien, Rowling, Isaac Asimov, Robert Jordan, Mercedes Lackey, R. A. Salvatore, Donaldson, to name a few. I've also read classic authors including Twain, Miguel de Cervantes, and Hemingway to name those I've most prominently explored. However, my greatest love lies in fantasy, especially plot elements and world-building. As an author, my strengths lie in mapping out a plot and filling out the world it takes place in. Conversely, my characterization is my greatest weakness. I have a difficult time capturing normal dialogue, and making characters for me is a hit or miss process. My best characters tend to be the villains, as I pay careful attention to how they interact with other characters, and their sparseness in my novels makes me more efficient in characterizing them. On the other hand, my heroes often tend to have no emotional weaknesses, a very pragmatic view of the world, and a strong sense of introversion.
Addressing these weaknesses never happens overnight. Believe me, I've been trying for years to improve my characters and I've made glacial headway in that category. In addressing your own weaknesses, you have to ask yourself how you are going to approach it. As a writer who has trouble with characters, should I write a romance novel and try to hammer it down or ignore the issue and write something where your weakness doesn't matter?
My advice: write what you know, and get creative with it. Knowing your weakness is half the battle, and practicing with it is the other half. If you have trouble with plot, then write shorter character pieces and introduce a conflict. For world-building, a character piece using a small area. Restrictions on your writing often spark the most creative responses. Make the story use a specific item in your bedroom, or the first noun in the dictionary starting with g, or make all the characters represent a different personality trait of someone you know.
Another way to tackle weaknesses is to put yourself in an environment where you'll learn more about it. I took a playwriting course because I knew it would force me to concentrate on dialogue. It's brought to light some issues I have - I'm pretty good at framing an unusual personality but terrible at expressing it properly. It's not enough to have a personality in mind for me; there's something deeper in the dialogue I have to explore.
With that said, let's proceed to the summary.
Find your weaknesses, then work around them at first. Wear away at the problem bit by bit at a time, like water rushing over a rock. These problems don't go away simply by recognizing them and trying something different. I tried that, and the result wasn't pretty. Instead, it takes practice, and lots of it, just like anything else in life.
Here are some takeaway questions:
What authors do I like the most? What story elements do they emphasize? What is the main appeal of their work?
What genres do I like the least? What elements do they emphasize?
What is the main appeal of my own writing? What do I like writing the most, and why?
Conversely, what do I pay the least attention to? What bores me, and where, and why? Boredom with writing is a sure sign you're doing something wrong.
What do my likes and dislikes say about my writing abilities? We tend to be least capable of putting on paper what we dislike.
How can I distill out this element I have trouble with and slowly reintroduce it into your writing? Short stories are best for getting a sense of how to approach an idea, as you'll get the full results the soonest.
Alright, I hope that helps. Next Friday, I'll either be back in this or I'll start a new blog.
It's been another uneventful weak... spring break's right around the corner and I've almost finished a chemistry project I've been working on for months. So, on to the main attraction.
Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
I think the best way to find your strong and weak points is to analyze what you read. The literature we're exposed to has an incredible impact on the type of writing we produce. In a way, it's a positive feedback loop - what people consider to be good literature is in turn produced by its readers. What genres do you prefer? What draws you most into a story? What genres turn you away, and why?
As for myself, I grew up reading numerous fantasy books, including Tolkien, Rowling, Isaac Asimov, Robert Jordan, Mercedes Lackey, R. A. Salvatore, Donaldson, to name a few. I've also read classic authors including Twain, Miguel de Cervantes, and Hemingway to name those I've most prominently explored. However, my greatest love lies in fantasy, especially plot elements and world-building. As an author, my strengths lie in mapping out a plot and filling out the world it takes place in. Conversely, my characterization is my greatest weakness. I have a difficult time capturing normal dialogue, and making characters for me is a hit or miss process. My best characters tend to be the villains, as I pay careful attention to how they interact with other characters, and their sparseness in my novels makes me more efficient in characterizing them. On the other hand, my heroes often tend to have no emotional weaknesses, a very pragmatic view of the world, and a strong sense of introversion.
Addressing these weaknesses never happens overnight. Believe me, I've been trying for years to improve my characters and I've made glacial headway in that category. In addressing your own weaknesses, you have to ask yourself how you are going to approach it. As a writer who has trouble with characters, should I write a romance novel and try to hammer it down or ignore the issue and write something where your weakness doesn't matter?
My advice: write what you know, and get creative with it. Knowing your weakness is half the battle, and practicing with it is the other half. If you have trouble with plot, then write shorter character pieces and introduce a conflict. For world-building, a character piece using a small area. Restrictions on your writing often spark the most creative responses. Make the story use a specific item in your bedroom, or the first noun in the dictionary starting with g, or make all the characters represent a different personality trait of someone you know.
Another way to tackle weaknesses is to put yourself in an environment where you'll learn more about it. I took a playwriting course because I knew it would force me to concentrate on dialogue. It's brought to light some issues I have - I'm pretty good at framing an unusual personality but terrible at expressing it properly. It's not enough to have a personality in mind for me; there's something deeper in the dialogue I have to explore.
With that said, let's proceed to the summary.
Summary
Find your weaknesses, then work around them at first. Wear away at the problem bit by bit at a time, like water rushing over a rock. These problems don't go away simply by recognizing them and trying something different. I tried that, and the result wasn't pretty. Instead, it takes practice, and lots of it, just like anything else in life.
Here are some takeaway questions:
What authors do I like the most? What story elements do they emphasize? What is the main appeal of their work?
What genres do I like the least? What elements do they emphasize?
What is the main appeal of my own writing? What do I like writing the most, and why?
Conversely, what do I pay the least attention to? What bores me, and where, and why? Boredom with writing is a sure sign you're doing something wrong.
What do my likes and dislikes say about my writing abilities? We tend to be least capable of putting on paper what we dislike.
How can I distill out this element I have trouble with and slowly reintroduce it into your writing? Short stories are best for getting a sense of how to approach an idea, as you'll get the full results the soonest.
Alright, I hope that helps. Next Friday, I'll either be back in this or I'll start a new blog.