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Identifying Growth Opportunities
There's always room to improve your work--how do you self-diagnose things that you can do better? |
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A friend of mine who's middle management for a major tech company used the phrase "growth opportunities" to refer to "areas in fiction writing that have room for improvement" in a conversation we were having the other day, and it struck me as a fun way to approach a part of writing that a lot of us dread. I am currently in one of those phases where I am looking for things in my own work that I want to get better at, and I think that reframing can be useful, so I figured it might be useful here, too.
I feel like every writer has a strong suit--something that situates them well as a writer. You might know what yours is, or you might not, but it's definitely worth trying to figure that out, if you can. It is usually a somewhat complex and inscrutable thing, and you may not totally know what it is without asking a critique partner or a friend who's read all your stuff. Ask around! Look at your reviews on here from readers whose opinions you trust and see if there is something that they agree on--usually there are a few things, to be honest! Looking at these compliments can help you to feel better about your work while you're trying to pick it apart; reviewers who are thoughtful about what they liked as much as what they think of as a "growth opportunity" in your work are very valuable for this!
In my case, I'm pretty aware that mine is "situational character drama"--everything I write stems from a character and a situation that interests me as a reader, and unfolds out from there. I might do some worldbuilding before I start exploring a character, but a lot of times, that worldbuilding is in service to designing the situation around the character and so on. The world changes a lot more in the design phase because it's a lot less "set" for me than a character might be. (I also believe pretty strongly in doing this in part because as a science fiction and fantasy writer, I feel like there should be a meaningful reason for why a story is science fiction or fantasy, even if it's just "this aesthetically pleases me"--but it's easier to do if I know I am building for something in particular!)
Now, you don't necessarily need to find your strong suit before you find your weak points--er, your growth opportunities--but in my view, it helps, because it gives you something tangible to lean on while you improve other areas of your work.
If you're in a similar boat to mine, for example, you might find that creating strong plots is difficult to do because focusing on character can be great, but it can also be a distraction from forward progress in your short fiction. If you know what you do well, you can use that to start shaping a game plan for your next project. (In my case, I am working on a story that has a very intricate plot, specifically to make use of some very dramatic character designs!)
If you find that plot is the easy part but that compelling characters are difficult, you might try working on something about a complex character without doing a lot of plot work ahead of time--because if you're very plot-centric, odds are you will end up coming up with plot details even without meaning to while you are working, as a byproduct of your character design.
If you find that you excel at descriptions but need work on character development--try a story that's dialogue-only, like the fine folks over at Invalid Item ! Find ways to work your strengths to your advantage while you are working on your areas of improvement.
And of course, above all, find ways to have fun with it while you're working on a new skill, because otherwise, why are we doing this?
I'd love to know more about what you like to write and what you struggle with--check out the Feedback section below and consider sending in your thoughts! (One of my own growth opportunities for this year--I would really love to spend as much time as possible on ways to help writers new and old improve their craft!)
Until next time,
Take care and Write on!
Jay
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Feedback from "New Year, New Habits?"
Sand Castles Shopgirl 739 writes:
I can relate to the "finishing" frame of mind. I go through that with my knitting and crochet projects. One of my biggest challenges is living with a full time critic...it is soul draining...no matter how positive the rest of my circle of friends and family are. The Weekly goals...I will check that out.
Oof--well, as my own worst critic, I uh... definitely know what that can be like to live with and it is miserable... so I hope you have better luck than me there? In the meantime, I hope Weekly Goals is useful for you!
Quick-Quill  writes:
I think a goal needs to be more than just resolution. I know I’m going to England in May. I know I need to be ready to walk, a lot. What will hold me back? Dragging my body around. Ha! SO I have to lose wright and start walking each day. 1/6 starts me back on my diet and I will walk every day in the warehouse for 30-40 mins or whatever I can do. There is an imaginary rope (bungee) tied to me that will yank me back on my road toward the goal. I also have a young coworker who is on the same path. She’s due in May.
Absolutely! Resolutions are sort of challenging to work with, but if you think about it with more of a long-term self-image in mind, it can be really helpful.
As always, I love to hear from you all! In addition, I thought I'd put forward a question from this issue:
What are some of the flaws you've identified in your own work? How do you work to improve on them?
Interesting answers may be jumping-off points for future issues, so don't be shy! I'd love to dig into different areas for improvement in short fiction.
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Short Stories: February 26, 2020 Issue [#9996]
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