Descriptivery

[Magus]

Anyone who aims for a Tolkeinesque level of description of a glade or something that isn't central to the story you're trying to tell needs to be shot. Including Tolkein himself - it was the hardest part about getting into his books for me. So there's that.

I share this weakness with you, and it kind of makes sense. You and I both developed most of our abilities on a site dedicated to action/fights.

That said, one thing I've found that helps me a lot lately is to try and sublimate 'inappropriate' words as descriptors. I used 'spears' to describe a nasty smell in one of my Magus thingies, for instance. I picked it up from a few other writers - I think Butcher & Ondaatje use this technique - and shamelessly stole it for my own ends.

One thing that damages my writing more than anything is rust. The first five pages of the novella I'm writing are very matter-of-fact, very to-the-point, and not terribly eloquent. But it's also the very first stuff I'd written since I became inactive here (and it's not like I was getting much practice here either). I think I've began to shake it off and get back into my groove but it'll be some time yet before I'm confident again.

I think you're already aware of that: you gotta keep writing stuff to be good at it. But I think it needs to be said; just keep at it and be aware of your flaws - it'll make you focus on them more. The stuff you're already good at will just spill out - you don't need to stress about it.