I’m working on the second Disintegration prequel. (Watch for the first one to be released here after the new year!) As I was writing this afternoon, I finally got to the point where the two featured characters meet up. After that, it was smooth sailing until I had to leave my house.
I love writing dialogue. For me, it’s one of the easiest things to write. I’ve been told many times in the past that I write the way I speak, and I speak a LOT. Really. If we met for drinks, I probably wouldn’t stop talking for the entire evening. I suppose that’s made its way into my writing – I’ve taken part in so many conversations over the course of my life, I don’t find it that difficult to transcribe.
As with everything else, there’s a trade off. I still sometimes feel my descriptions are lacking. I’m usually too lazy to use good metaphors. I don’t have as much anxiety as I used to about writing action scenes (of the non-sexual variety), but they’re still not my favorite.
Some writers focus on creating complex worlds that make the reader feel they really exist. (An offshoot of that is writers who describe existing places with such vivid detail, the reader gets a perfect mental image even if he/she has never been there before.) Others come up with such intricate plots, I marvel at how their minds can even function that way. (I’ve often said I’m not smart enough to write murder mysteries.) Lastly, there are some who figuratively give birth to interesting, well-developed characters who are thrown into compelling situations.
A balance between all those areas would be ideal, I suppose. I don’t know where I fall. I’m leaning towards the last category, and I think my love of dialogue plays a part in that. I like when each character (both those belonging to me and other authors) has a distinctive voice, and I find it a fun challenge to develop that through interactions with other characters.
Or maybe I just need an outlet for all the voices of my head. One or the other.