Have you ever read a book and wondered how in the world the author came up with the plot? Or created characters you could fall in love with? Or made you laugh out loud? Each week, the amazing authors of Romance Weekly share their trade secrets and chat about their craft.
If you found me by way of Gemma Brocato http://www.gemmabrocato.com/blog, welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay. This week's topic is courtesy of Mishka Jenkins. She asked:
What would you say your writing strengths and weaknesses are?
First off, let me just say that I'm still learning and growing as a writer. The more I read, attend conferences, get feedback from editors or critique partners, and teach kids about writing, my writing process becomes more and more polished and refined.
I hope.
At times I have to remind myself that writing really equates to playing with Play Doh. Words are to be played with, squished, squashed, and rolled around in your brain until something emerges. Sometimes what results is a work of art, other times not. But it's all cool, because I'm just playing.
So to answer Miska's question. What are my strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
I think I'm fairly good at dialogue, scene construction and grammar. I find it easy to "hear" the entire scene as it plays out in my head. No, I'm not crazy, and yes, my characters do live inside my head. As a teacher, grammar comes naturally to me. It's a hazard of the job.While I think of myself as both a visual and auditory learner, my characters only speak to me. They aren't so kind as to always "show" me the details of the setting. I have to work much harder to describe the setting or pin down the timeline.
By far my biggest weakness as a writer, is making the time to sit down and write. Teaching takes up the majority of my waking hours, and my children and soccer take up most of the rest. I have a tough time switching gears and tend to do a lot of procrastinating when I'm working through a storyline issue. As a result I'm a very slow writer.
Well, my confession time is up. Time to move on and see how Mishka Jenkins answered her own questions. https://awriterslifeformeblog.wordpress.com/
Come back Thursday when Katie O'Boyle joins me for a chat.
I wouldn't consider time with your family and friends as a weakness! Especially while children are young, even through their teens, that time is important for all concerned. And you'll have more fodder for stories later!
ReplyDeleteWe're all learning and finding the time to write when it's not your full time job is tough. Great post.
ReplyDeleteI love how you equate writing to Play Doh. It makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteYour Play Doh reference rocks. Time away. I so feel you on that one, Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteThe Play Doh reference, as the others have said, is a pretty perfect way of describing it! :D
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