FOR WRITERS
Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer John Allenson:
I took a course from Karl Schroeder where he spoke of 4 basic skill sets that are needed to complete novels: Idea Generator, World-Building, Plot-Creation, and Getting-the-worlds-down. People tend to do one or two of those automatically but struggle with the others.
What is your basic skill set? Do you come up with plot bunnies easily? Do you like creating elaborate worlds? Do you know who does what and when but have trouble with why? Do you write 10,000 words on your lunch but have trouble coming up with good ideas?
I find it’s easier to experience everything from the perspective of the character I’m writing about, as s/he goes along. Once the dialogue starts flowing with another character, I have a bad habit of neglecting the background. I need to work it into the dialogue more, making the setting and world complement the action. That’s when everything flows smoothly.