Published by deborah.woehr on 10 Oct 2007 at 05:16 pm
What Are Your Strengths as a Writer?
I’ve been tagged twice, by Patrick at Writing Life and Steve at Blog-From-The-Darkside. I wanted to ignore this meme because I tend to look at (perhaps focus too much on) my negative qualities, especially as a writer. Before I started writing, I had no idea that I was such a perfectionist.
Okay, guys. I’ll give it my best shot.
1. Determination. My first story began as a “mind movie.” I’ve been striving to learn how to write a full-length novel ever since. I won’t stop until I do. Then I’ll keep writing more.
2. Vivid imagination. That’s where the “mind movies” come from. I decided to put them to good use instead of going to waste inside my head.
3. Character Creation. I’ve always loved listening to people’s stories. Psychology was one of my favorite subjects in school, especially the abnormal kind. Personal experiences also play a strong part in the creation of my characters. I find it interesting how different people handle the same situation.
4. Dialogue. For some reason I can’t explain, this is the easiest aspect of writing for me. Well, most of the time. I love to include the characters’ body languages, their thought patterns, and their actions. This is how I get to know the characters in my stories, by “listening” to the way they talk and interact with each other.
5. A bulging library. Do I need to explain this?
If you’d like to continue this meme, feel free. I’d love to hear your strengths.
Steve on 12 Oct 2007 at 9:28 pm #
Sorry. Didn’t know I was ganging up on you. It is an interesting list though. A few people have determination on their lists, in one form or another, and rightly so. A little while ago I found a quote and used it on my blog: ‘A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t give up.’ It says it all doesn’t it?
I noticed that reading (a bulging library) comes up a lot too). It seems to me that a lot of writers are big readers. Which is good. Do you know what though? In my everyday life I do not meet many readers (perhaps I just mix with all the wrong people). I think that everyone should read more.
deborah.woehr on 12 Oct 2007 at 9:34 pm #
No worries, Steve.
Yes, that quote says it all. Many of the people I know would rather watch TV or a movie than read a book. Time is usually the biggest factor. Others just don’t have the patience to sit and read.