Pieces of the Puzzle

I have to dedicate this post to my friend, Alex. He achieved the zen we all strive for when we are working on our stories. We all know this moment, when all the elements of the bigger picture start to make sense and fall into place. It is similar to having your back scratched in just the right spot and your insides turn to mush.

Writing a novel, or even a short story for that matter, is akin to completing a jigsaw puzzle. You take a cast of characters, set them on a stage, add glowing description and torture them with copious amounts of conflict, ending with a coherent resolution. Scratch the puzzle analogy. Writing a novel is like baking a cake. The right amount of various ingredients and you have a beautiful and satisfying end product. Too much of one thing and not enough of another results in a culinary disaster.

Knowing how much of each component is the tricky part. Too much description and not enough conflict and your story is boring. Same for not enough action and pages of dialog. If you find the right balance of all the elements, your tale will jump of the page. This concept is one I am still working on.

My first writing efforts were comprised of wordy paragraphs filled with exposition. How proud I was of those pieces. Right up until the moment a good writing friend critiqued them. She taught me the value of white spaces in a piece and varying the lengths of paragraphs to control the pacing. Years after I began my writing journey, I am still learning and trying to grow as a writer. My big blocks of text are a thing of the past, I wish I could say the same for my telling instead of showing.

Back to the original thought behind this rambling post, nothing is quite as satisfying for a writer as when the writing goes well and everything works. Writers, hang on to those moments and remember them for the times when things aren't going as well and you are about to throw in the towel. To bad it is impossible to bottle feelings, because the accomplished feeling of a job well done is one I wish I could savor over and over.

Strengths Vs. Weaknesses

In order to be more productive in the coming year, I signed up for a writing challenge. Staying focused and finishing projects have been a problem for me in the past. (this is one reason why I have five or six unfinished novels on my hard drive) Life would often rear its ugly head and get in the way of my writing progress. The coming year shall be different. I am making writing one of my priorities. This explains my eagerness to join a community focused on completing writing goals.

One of the sign up questions stumped me. "Strengths?" The following one, "Weaknesses?", was easy to answer. I sometimes forget to add needed description to my stories. Settings also trip me up. It is as if I just threw my characters in a room and recorded their conversations. Follow through is also a problem for me. I have completed two novels, but have yet to finish a second draft. I loath editing. Did I mention the five or six other half finished projects I have?

Yes, I am well aware of my weaknesses as a writer. They beat me over the head. But when I was asked about my strengths, I drew a complete blank. Being the insecure person I am, I doubted any existed. To remedy the problem, I started calling, messaging, and texting friends who might have read my writing. (I know this is terrible, but I was desperate and needed something to fill the blank on the sign up) The first friend hadn't read anything of mine in such a long time, she couldn't help me. The next one hadn't read any of my prose. I think his writing is elegant and more refined than my own, so I refrained from sharing. My third try insisted I had strengths, everyone does, but when put on the spot couldn't name one. (to be fair she was busy and just answering the phone was a big deal) In the end, I put "plotting" as a strength.

My cousin, my best friend, my conspirator in writing, came through after the sign up was posted. Her response to my query was, "You are imaginative and good at descriptions."I love my cousin. I AM imaginative. If I wasn't, then I wouldn't be making up stories in my head now would I? On the subject of descriptions, I do not think I am strong. Cliches seem to creep into my pieces. I used to spend time at work describing things such as clouds to practice my description techniques. Unique descriptions are tough to create. It is easy to fall back on old standards.

Writers all have things which come naturally to them and others which take hard work and practice to hone. No two writers are the same. It is important to embrace your strengths and your weaknesses equally. They are what makes you distinct. Polish what comes naturally and practice what doesn't. Pretty prose isn't vomited on the page. It is often the result of much thought and elbow grease.