So
Posted a couple of items in the private journal. As expected, I felt sohh much more relaxed. I ENJOYED the act of writing again. And I liked the sound of the voice coming out. A stronger more chatty voice. I don't sound like a constipated English professor.
That's what drives me nuts when I try to write fiction. It's flat and unemotional. So far, I haven't been able to get inside the head of a character. And I've seen this failing in most of the stories I've critted for other beginner writers. Beginner writers insert long detailed descriptions on the weather, a description of a building. There's too much focus on the minor stuff happening around the emotional drama.
In published stories I enjoy, I notice the witing focus is locked on the reader having an emotional engagement with a character. Physical descriptions are shown in a beautiful shorthand. Just one telling detail is needed.
I've been going back to fiction I admire. For a third, fourth, fifth reading. Thinking about why it works so beautifully for me. Why did I have such a strong emotional response ?
I'm going to experiment with very short sentences. I've been reading stories with simple wording and short punchy sentences on Strangehorizons. I love the energy, the momentum in this kind of robust writing. And I want to try it out as a way of moving forward and getting unblocked. I still get bogged down in sentence revision. Fussing about whether to use a comma or semi-comma. I'm thinking there's less opportunity to fuss with bite sized sentences.
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