As someone who doesn't complete or even write many stories of any length, I have come to realize that there are a number of plot and structural problems with my writing. Rereading the first draft of the incomplete short story I talked about in yesterday's entry helped me see this. Granted, the story is definitely at least a year old, but still.
The main issue I noticed was how lifeless the world was. Granted, the story takes place in a dead city, but there's no context, no detail. So I've decided as an exercise to do two things: worldbuild and outline. The story itself is not long but as it stands it simply isn't invested. It's lacking that extra level of immersion, the sense that the story lives beyond the bounds of the words used to tell it.
But, before I can even do that much I need details. Instead of using generics I am going through and specifying everything. I've already renamed the dead city and one of the characters, and given the antagonist a name and a new definition of what exactly it is. Even changing and adding such a small bit of data has already greatly clarified and improved the foundation of the story.
Sometimes for the beginning writer, it's not as simple as sitting down and pounding out the words. I am finding this deliberate analysis and construction to be immensely helpful.
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