Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Fiction Writer’s Aptitude Test - A non-scientific way to explore your strengths

I’ve read a lot of wonderful work, both by professionals and amateurs. For those I know, it’s surprisingly common that writers don’t appreciate what they do well. They tend to focus on problems or to get hypercritical about where they are “lacking.”

I suspect more success (and writing joy) comes from going with your strengths than focusing on weaknesses. Yes, unless you have a talent that trumps major shortcomings, you do have to achieve minimum levels across most elements of writing. But why not make the most of where you’re really good? Why not celebrate the gifts you have?

So below is a far from scientific aptitude test. I think the topic areas are worth exploring, especially if you haven’t considered them in isolation. The choices under each topic may add some perspectives, but they mostly are here for fun. My hope is that you’ll get a fast, entertaining read, with a few pointers toward deepening your understanding of what you have to offer as a writer.

As a writer, I am adept at:

1 Creating wonderful, memorable characters.
        A. People find protagonists in my story empathetic and believable.
        B. My main characters have voices so distinct, they are readily distinguishable.
        C. My characters reveal who they are through relationships with other characters, both in speech and action.
        D. You can understand my characters through the decisions they make.
        E. My characters are layered and surprise without contradicting who they are.

2 Giving readers powerful emotional experiences.
        A. My stories dare to include the most powerful emotions, not just lighter ones: Rage, not just irritation. Delight, not just contentment.

        B. My characters depict emotion through action and expression, not just words.
        C. Emotional experiences are given the proper space, with words and images that provide readers with time to absorb and react, without diluting the feelings with excess verbiage.
        D. Emotional moments are deftly set up for the most impact, e.g., by using comic relief.
        E. Emotion feels fresh and authentic, with no cliches or melodrama.

3 Producing dialogue that pops, crackles, advances the plot, and reveals characters.
        A. My dialogue has no extra words and avoids the dull parts of how real people speak.
        B. Dialogue is witty and distinct.
        C. Dialogue is organic, fitting the character and the situation rather than showing off.
        D. Dialogue is not “on the nose.” It includes subtext.
        E. Most of the dialogue, including humorous quips, serves a story purpose.
   
4 Composing with lyrical language that delights readers.
        A. It’s a smooth read.
        B. The work (appropriately) uses poetic techniques.
        C. The best of the lyrical phrases feel so natural, they open readers up rather than bash them with their cleverness.
        D. The words invite rereading and expose fresh undercurrents each time.
        E. Reading the work out loud is a sensual experience. The words feel good in my mouth.

5 Telling stories with plots that twist, turn, and resolve in a satisfying manner.
        A. People feel compelled to tell my stories in their own words to others.
        B. Surprises delight and seem inevitable in retrospect.
        C. Characters seem to create the plot through their decisions and never feel like they have been pushed around to make the story work.
        D. The story questions are clear, even though they may not be explicitly articulated.
        E. The ending answers the story question clearly, supports the theme, and ties up important loose ends.

6 Hooking and holding readers so they compulsively turn the pages.
        A. The title, first sentence, or first paragraph creates curiosity and deep interest.
        B. The story escalates with greater stakes.
        C. Every revelation until the end raises more compelling questions.
        D. The reader can’t put the story down.
        E. The outside world disappears as the reader gets lost in the story world.

7 Building worlds that invite readers to immersive themselves.
        A. My story world makes sense and doesn’t break its rules.
        B. There is enough description to allow readers to imagine the world.
        C. There is enough left out of the description so the reader has the opportunity to participate in world building.
        D. All the senses are engaged.
        E. The story world shapes the characters. They belong.

8 Presenting fresh, authentic perspectives.
        A. My protagonist’s point of view takes the reader out of his/her comfort zone.
        B. The expression of the perspective invites curiosity and engagement.
        C. The code of the unfamiliar character (or society) is clear and relatable.
        D. There are elegant transitions from strangeness to empathic responses.
        E. A lesser known aspect of the human experience is illuminated.

9 Providing prose that is so clear and logical the reader pushes forward with no confusion.
        A. No lines need to be reread.
        B. The logic is unquestionable.
        C. All characters act in character.
        D. Goals, stakes, obstacles, and questions are all specific and clear.
        E. All ambiguities are intentional and fair to the chosen audience.

10 Deftly slipping in knowledge, wisdom, and experiences that broaden real-world understanding.
        A. My story dares to have something to say, and says it artistically.
        B. Facts, including fascinating ones, are metered out in a way that is clear without feeling out of place in the story.
        C. The act of writing exposes unexpected or freshly nuanced truths.
        D. Some of what is depicted feels risky and creates vulnerabilities.
        E. The thoughts dare to go as far as they should and no further.

11 Illuminating the human experience through humor.
        A. The audience laughs.
        B. Humor emerges from character as much as situation.
        C. Some humor can reach those who might disagree with its premise.
        D. If any characters are made the butt of jokes, I punch up, not down.
        E. The basics could have been expressed in an interesting way without humor.

12 Offering imaginative images that resonate beyond the text.
        A. Metaphors, whether they are in descriptions, circumstances, or how stories evolve, are fresh and apt. They aren’t stretched too far.
        B. Images are vivid and memorable.
        C. Images invited different interpretations.
        D. Imagery is consistent and has unity.
        E. Imagery does not disrupt or distract, it deepens the experience of the story.

13 Choosing and learning about readers in ways that enable strong connections.
        A. I have written a draft with a known person in mind.
        B. I have talked to those who might be interested in such a work.
        C. I have gained experience of the challenges, values, and interests of audience members.
        D. The knowledge, idioms, and areas of curiosity of the audience are understood.
        E. The attention spans, likely distractions, and taboos of those in the target audience have been assessed.

14 Drafting freely, with compassion, audacity, and acceptance.
        A. The first draft explores and is playful.
        B. The process puts editing aside and allows experimentation.
        C. There are parts of the draft that are disturbing and risky to share.
        D. Even when the draft is done with an outline, there are surprises during the process.
        E. The drafts almost always have enough in terms of tentative beats, elements of character, and theme to be worthy of revision.

15 Revising efficiently and persistently so the full value of the work can reach readers.
        A. Even if new approaches are used during revision, success is assured by a documented fallback process.
        B. All the key dimensions of revision (completeness, story logic, structure, description, language, etc.) are addressed, usually by multiple passes.
        C. At some point, helpful readers are invited in and listened to.
        D. I have a process for assessing criticism and responding appropriately.
        E. The endpoint for revision takes the full value of the story and makes it available to readers.

16 Imagining and developing concepts and premises that prompt cascades of ideas and draw readers in.
        A. Curiosity and taste drive the collection of possibilities for stories, and these are recorded in full sentences and sorted for easy retrieval.
        B. My ideas, from images to complete loglines, are captured, developed, and evaluated to provide strong writing options.
        C. The expressions of concepts arouse interest and suggest high value.        
        D. Each premise is expressed through specific characters that raise the story’s payoff.
        E. My concept is of genuine interest to me, not just marketable.

17 Constructing scenes that are paced and structure to both achieve their purposes elegantly and serve the larger work.
        A. Each scene explores something important to the story.
        B. What is at stake in each scene is clear.
        C. Power shifts within the scene make readers worry about characters.
        D. The rhythm of each scene shifts seamlessly among actions, descriptions, reactions, and rumination.
        E. The outcome of the scene (often negative in terms of the main character’s goal) is clear and suggests what might need to be explored next.

The above is not comprehensive, but I hope you found some points to ponder. (If you actually came up with things that make your work wonderful that I missed, that’s even better.)

There’s plenty of reason to feel good about your work if you said yes to even one note under each category. And, depending on you genre, you might be happy even if some are missed entirely. YOU get to decide. Though there might be some places where improvement is possible (and that’s great), I hope there are no reasons to feel unhappy. Improvements may open new doors, but you can also see those areas where you have demonstrated aptitude already. For these, the doors are already open. Now it’s about mastering these areas so you can burst through the open doorways and reach your dreams.

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