Big Surprise: Writing Flaws = Personal Quirks

I’ve received feedback on my writing from the amazing folks over on Absolute Write.  I’ve submitted the first scene from Sfia and Peter and two thousand words of Out of the Blue 2.0 (see the Science Fiction section), as well as asking for feedback on Zeddy and Bubba as a concept.

Several people touched on the same things in their comments, and those things turn out to be related to what I’m working on in my personal life.  Why am I surprised?

  1. Over-explain.  I explain in too much depth and width.  Anyone who knows me well knows that!  And it clearly shows up in my writing
  2. Emotional Distance.  The readers don’t feel close to my characters.  Since I struggle to clearly identify and express my emotions to others, it’s not surprising this showed up in my writing.
  3. Timing.  My sense of timing, of when to go in greater depth with the settings versus the moment of tension, needs work.  Ha!  If you know me, you know my tendency to blurt, or to say the last thing first, etc.
  4. Lack of clarity.  Sometimes the readers are left wondering “Why?” too much, especially in regard to what the character’s motivations.

The comments were by no means all negative.  I’m just focusing on what’s wrong to make it better.  Stay tuned!

A Great Mountain Hike

Driving south of town, you watch the two-lane blacktop curve back and forth around slight slopes of evergreens.  You catch glimpses of a rushing creek bed on your left.  Then, a large and beautiful pond, clear and shining, appears, and you almost miss your right turn on to Spruce Road.  The scent of pine needles wafts in your windows in the cool mountain breeze.

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Childhood Sun, Sea, and Wind

Take either the short ferry from Port A. and drive down Mustang Island, or cross the Intracoastal Waterway from Corpus.  Take Park Road 22 south down Padre Island, passing by beachfront parks and condos and Bob Hall Pier.  Keep going until buildings disappear and sandy flat vegetation stretches out on either side.  Keep going as the road ribbons onward.  Keep going to the entrance to a little known national park, Padre Island National Seashore.

2016 Poker Run at Bird Island Basin

2016 Poker Run at Bird Island Basin

Pay your entrance fee, and keep a sharp watch out for the first turn westward, away from the Gulf and the pounding surf.  A short drive, a cluster of cars, then  you see colorful sails dancing like butterflies across the water.  The sailboard rigs fill the water as they skim, race, flutter, flip, and tip.

Welcome to one of the best windsurfing spots in the world: Bird Island Basin.

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