Based on the comments Maria and Jessica made (so far) on my previous entry, I considered once again my writing strengths and weaknesses.
As far as the big stuff goes, dialogue is my definite strength. I could write it all day long. Often I have to remind myself to stop and add details. I’m not writing a script.
Hence my weakness: description. It’s a balance between adding too much and not enough, and I haven’t quite figured out that balance yet.
There’s also the audience to consider. In general, female readers appreciate the details, where as male writers prefer to focus on the action.
I wrote a story and posted it in my online portfolio. For a high-action scene I wrote a spate of short, snappy sentences.
One reviewer (male) loved it.
One reviewer (female) hated it.
I thought the stark difference between them both funny and intriguing. I understood then the sometimes polar difference of opinion with regard to readers.
For authors writing books both female and male readers will enjoy is tough indeed. The only way to discover if we succeed is by sales, or asking as many people of our target audience to read and critique our manuscripts.
Something I need to do.
What are your writing strengths and weaknesses?
Andra's Blog 
Same as yours! Dialogue is easy, description has to be worked on. 😉 At least that’s how I see it. I’m not sure if readers would argue.
Don’t you love those opposite reviews? LOL!
I didn’t notice an imbalance of your dialogue and description in “A Reason to Hope” and if it bothered me, I would have noticed. 😉 I think you’re likely being harder on yourself than you need to be!
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Based on other people’s comments about my writing, my characters seem to be well-drawn. But I also have the tendency to use too much introspection.
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Too hard on myself, eh? Did you not comment that I didn’t add enough detail in my excerpt, Hmm?
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Better an over-drawn character than a flat one, I say. How does one find balance when we have to keep track of so many things?
Thankfully, if we allow it, others will tell us where we’re going off course.
Thanks, Cathy!
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I have to agree, dialogue and moving characters through space comes much easier to me than description. I can easily become lazy in my descriptions and have to constantly tell myself to think outside the box, rather than draw the first cliched picture that comes to mind.
With sci-fi, I have to work hard to make the science-y parts believeable.
And, now that I think about it, plotting is another area that requires me to stretch my brain to the point of discomfort.
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Those brain-stretches get me too. I bet when I die, the doctor performing the autopsy will be a might stunned by all them stretchmarks on me gray matter.
(don’t ask where the sudden accent came from. Me gots not a clue).
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