Kenton, this example perfectly illustrates what I’m talking about! No further embellishment needed.

As Walt Whitman advised: ‘always leave the best unsaid.’

I think you are right, fanfiction helped me to find my voice. I mean I wrote short stories and novel drafts, but I felt I missed something. Fanfictions in english made me realize how some spanish speakers like me, tend to write long sentences and describe every detail. It was a good way to learn some writing skills and reading in english. I’ve benn reading novels in english and learn a lot, but fanfiction was the beginning to me. (I’m still learning english by the way)

I think every long-form fiction writer should make flash fiction part of their regular writing routine, just as a musician would practice etudes, or a runner would do speedwork. It keeps you agile and sharpens your work. (For poets, true haiku? and for nonfiction writers – the essay?) Thanks for the link, Norah!

Charles, I think that was Abraham Lincoln?

Anne, that childish feeling is a great way to remember to avoid overwriting. No writer wants to do that to their reader (and children’s books are some of the sparest of all, which speaks to the skill of that genre’s writers). Glad you shared it!

I like that picture, too! Bryan always chooses great art to accompany blog posts. And if fanfiction is your reading genre (is it really a genre?) of choice, your writing will eventually reflect the fanfic style that you’re reading. You can build your own unique voice in that way! Thanks for reading.