“Then write more poetry.”
Was asked what advice I had for beginning writers and that leaped to mind. Say more with less. Don’t fret over being misunderstood.
It’s my advice to myself. The whip I flog myself/ my work with. It’s what I see my favorite writers doing. I’m not talking amount or style so much as traction and weight.
We’ve been trained to give book reports, to listen to and give lectures, instructions, directions. All great and necessary, but those aren’t stories. In my opinion, nothing will fend off Dramatic Essay Syndrome (or Dramatic Sermon Syndrome, in the case of faith-based fiction) faster than a heavy dose of Collins, Tennyson, Kunitz or Szymborska. (or Mali or Mojgani, if spoken word is your thing)
BTW – fell embarrassingly short of my NaNoWriMo goal.
“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
Ray Bradbury
Hot Space Station Justice 