Sunday, August 22, 2010

I need incentives!

Ah, writing...what to say about writing?

I'm an essayist, primarily. It's always been where my writing skills lay. I'd be able to write a kick-ass memoir, if only my life had been a bit more exciting. But I'm fairly lame.

I'd love to be a super cool Sci-Fi or horror writer, but my fiction skills are lacking. I can't write believable dialog to save my life, and I get so annoyed with my bad dialog that I give up on stories without seeing them through to the end.

Also, and unfortunately, I write romance approximately on a level with George Lucas, which is to say badly. (I love Star Wars with all my heart, but come ON George...learn to write valid love scenes!! "Someone who loves you?" When Han is finally released from carbonite? That's all he could come up with for Leia to say? Blarg...but I digress.) I start to write about the interactions between two characters and, inevitably, I get the giggles. Literally.

And forget about sex. I can't write a damn thing about sex. Even typing it now is kind of making me blush. I mean, my dad could someday read things that I write - I certainly don't want him reading that kind of stuff. So I giggle and blush and get completely embarrassed and stuck and it's pretty pitiful.

But, that said, these are all things I'm working on. And to provide incentives for myself, I have big plans of entering stories in upcoming writing contests. Writers Digest is kind enough to provide several annually. I have a couple stories floating around my laptop, and plan to enter at least one Sci-Fi and maybe one general fiction. Marissa has also gotten me hooked on little mini-contests run by various agents. I've entered a couple and not had any form of recognition yet, but at least I've overcome a fear of putting myself out there. You can't get anywhere if you don't try, right? So try I will. Wish me luck!

And incidentally, I just learned that rhinos are pregnant for sixteen months at a time. All I can say is, thank God I'm not a rhino. I'd never have made it...

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