He knew he couldn't tell stories, that he always included extraneous details & tangents that interested only him.
Writers who can't invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn't paint people, so he painted chairs.
I get fed up with plots that are driven by someone constantly getting information on a computer.
I'm aware that dialogue isn't my strength. I use it as a device. I don't particularly like dialogue which is part of the problem.
Novels often thin themselves out to a watery hue - some even start that way - and at times seem to only ride along the surface of things, giving us what we already know, reporting the news that is just news.
How come princesses always have some huge flaw that can cause their downfall?
As a writer, I had learned a lot on 'Margin Call' about embracing the weaknesses of a narrative and of a project. A story always has an inherent narrative weakness.
A novel with a bad middle is a bad book. A bad ending is something I've just gotten in the habit of forgiving.
