A couple of articles on writing

[wshaffer]

Just wanted to post links to a couple of articles that echo some conversations I've had about writing with friends recently:

A writing career becomes harder to scale: I'm dubious about whether the phenomenon of would-be writers hoping for a quick success is really new - I'm sure that back in Dickens's day you had hopefuls who were just sure they could score that coveted newspaper serial slot and become rich and famous. But I think the article is right about the necessary quality of persistence in a writer. Ten years ago, I used to wonder whether I had the talent to become a successful fiction writer. These days, I wonder about whether I have the sheer bloody-minded persistence.

One pair of boots at a time - how to get everything in a scene right and not go mad: How to cope with difficulties writing dialogue and description at the same time. I'll admit, I've never perceived a particular difficulty in writing dialogue and description simultaneously, but I think that's because I try to write very strongly through the lens of the point-of-view character, which tends to unify the dialogue and description into a single experience. But I had a conversation with someone about this difficulty quite recently, and then this article popped up. Sometimes I think the internet is eavesdropping on me.

Comments

[retsuko.livejournal.com]

Both of those are very interesting, if a little disheartening (the second essay, more than the first, of course, although I think the author was largely concentrating on more "literary" fiction than genre). The advice in the comments for the first one was great, and is actually going to shape the way I edit today! So thanks for that. :)