Rather Meta Entry on writing, and request for advice.

I was thinking recently about things people say one shouldn't write, and seeing them successfully written. I think it all comes down not to a checklist of things to avoid but to authorial skill, really. For example, in shaenie's prequel to "Convergence" (I can't remember the name and I'm at work so I dare not look it up) she writes what boils down to a fairly classic romantic plot, one that often appears obvious, contrived, and stale. But because she's a good author (better than good, no less) she wrote it with such tension and originality that she reinvented this plot.

Part of accomplishing this is knowing one's strengths and building up areas one is weak in. To that end, I have some advice to ask. ( Read more... )