Needs Improvement

Everyone has things she would like to improve on. Even the narcissists I know don’t consider themselves perfect.

So in honor of imperfection, I give you a List Of (my) Writing Skills In Need Of Improvement:

• Cover Letters — The bane of my existence, for writing-to-(traditionally)-publish as well as for the unfortunately necessary existence of the day job.
• Description — Action and dialogue tend to exist in a void in the text. Seriously, every bit of description of mine that makes it to paper is a truly conscious effort.
• Discipline — Self-explanatory. We all know this one and its evil twin Procrastination.
• Mary Sues — In my love of strong women, I sometimes forget that to be human is to have flaws. Can they do anything they damn well please? You bet! They may just need a little more creativity to get there. It’s more interesting that way.
• Melodrama — Clichéd lines! Overextended tension! Ridiculously impractical and unbelievable dialogue! I use it all. Until the next draft. (I hope.)
• Romance — OMFL;GAKSJDFIASDKJIWE! WHY IS THIS SO HARD? I am in a happy, healthy relationship with my first love, so I should… Did I just answer my own question?
• Villains — Sure, antagonists don’t have to be Villains, but I like my Melodrama (see above). It’s so much easier to make them Pure Evil, which also makes them boring. Like the Mary Sue issue. Only worse. It’s so much more work to turn Villains into complex, believable characters.

This list is endless, but that’s all you’re getting! Now off to fix a Romance sub-plot that currently relies far too heavily on trite Melodrama…