I must say that the more I learn in classes and workshops about what it is to be a decent writer, the more I recognize different patterns in the books that I listen to and read. For some genres, what I would call "mistakes” are purposeful, appropriate for the target audience, and part of the author’s style. Fiction has some best-practice guidelines and rules that are noticeable when broken.

I’m on the road a lot and listen to audiobooks while I drive. I find myself talking back to the sound system, “how did your editor let that slip?” when I hear repeated words, clearly overly-used and also blatently-placed descriptors (yes, that was on purpose), and poor dialogue tags. My heightened awareness then makes me review my own work again to make sure I have not made the same mistakes.

Taking in the projects of other authors also allows me to glean methods for building environment, character, and mood. I may admire the the pacing and tension of a difficult scene in another work, and therefore gain insight to better create a more sensory atmosphere in my own.

That’s when I start filling in the blanks, adding a cornucopia of sensory clues to immerse the reader in a world rife with texture, scent, lighting, and realistic characters who have quirks and habits. It takes time, patience, exploration, testing, and feedback from trusted beta-readers to get just the right version of words. If you are a new writer, I encourage you to plug away at your story without a deadline. Allow yourself time to struggle, solve, and savor the process.

There is a bumper sticker which boasts “A bad day fishing is better than a good day working.” I look at writing the same way as compared to my regular paycheck job. A day of writing, even when most of my time is spent researching, rewriting, and resolving difficult scenes, may leave me mentally spent, but absolutely fulfilled.