At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I think now that the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, training himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance–that is to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph. The most important thing is insight, that is to be–curiosity–to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does, and if you have that, then I don’t think the talent makes much difference, whether you’ve got it or not.
– William Faulkner
I have been reading a book on descriptive writing which pretty much says the same thing that Mr. Faulkner does are you so in love with your words that you’re unwilling to throw out anything that is false? Are you patient enough to write through the mediocre writing? When you hear the term descriptive writing do you just think about superfluous details or are you paying attention to the story? Today read a page or a chapter of a work in progress. What can you add to the story by using descriptive writing?
Now get back to work!
Lovingly,
The Writing Nag