When I say I'm a grammar freak, I mean it.

An aspect of my writing which, I think, could use some improvement is that I'm often much too descriptive and wordy.

Not only do I tell instead of showing, I also tell in long-winded, elaborate sentences. I tend to do something called 'style indirect libre' in French, whereby I describe someone saying something, instead of just having them say it, as in "Mr and Mrs Dursley of number 4, Privet Drive were perfectly normal, thank you very much." instead of "Mrs Dursley, who lived at Number 4, Privet Drive, said, outraged 'We're perfectly normal, thank you very much.'" I think it can be used to great effect when it's done subtly and on purpose, just like in the example above, but I just do it all the time. Maybe it just stems from my usual talking style. When I recount an event, it can take some time and go in many an unexpected direction. Note how I embrace the British tradition of the understatement here?

A few days ago, I explained this problem to my boyfriend whose answer was that maybe I should try not to use so much pluperfect. Now you may think that's a random comment to make, but it's actually right on the mark. When he suggested that, I got all sadface and objected, 'But I LOVE the pluperfect!' And it's true. I think the pluperfect is a fun, awesome tense. I couldn't explain it clearly, but knowing that I am at liberty to use it makes me happy. I also love the pluperfect continuous. He suggested that maybe I'm trying to show off my English skills a little bit and I am going to deny it, in public. See what I did with that coma there? Erm. So. No showing off. At all. *kof, kof*

More seriously, I think we are touching here on one of the major drawbacks of writing in one's second language. It is very hard, once you've spent more than a decade being taught how to use a tool in the only right and proper way, to suddenly start using it in a more imaginative fashion. At first, you learn how to use your tool in a very basic way, you learn how to take a chip of wood away with a flat-ended chisel, then you progress, you learn the irregularities, you start using different-sized chisels and gouges and suddenly you can make pretty cool stuff. You've got most words, most tenses, most tools. You can make a lamp, or a chair, or write an essay on the compared benefits of reading or going to the theatre.

And then you get the Dremmel. My brother - who is a wood crafter, if you were wondering where all the wood talk came from - has a Dremmel. He loves it, it's one of his favourite tools. A Dremmel is a neat little drill with many different bits to choose from and with it he makes absolutely amazing things. He made me the most beautiful carved wooden pendant. It was almost entirely hollow because it was literally made out of holes. It was a beautiful criss-crossing of dark red wood and ended up breaking in two because of how delicate it was.

Now, to me, pluperfect is like the Dremmel. You can use it to express things that you could hardly have expressed otherwise. You can use it to make things criss-cross and entertwine. And that makes me about as happy as a puppy with a new chewing toy. Which means that I think about as much as said puppy when using the pluperfect. What could go wrong if I'm being grammatically correct?

I know that not everyone who speaks English as their second language has this problem and that I have it mainly because I love weird, shiny tenses too much, but my argument stands. It is very hard for a non-native speaker of any language to write in any other way than stiff, proper, and grammatically shiny, because they have learnt that from their use of the language.

I'm now trying to correct this by not using the pluperfect or pluperfect continuous :'( and by experimenting with writing in the present tense. This was a suggestion from le boyfriend and so far it's been interesting.

On Saturday, I wrote a short spooky piece about a guy who enters his flat to find an unknown woman dead on his bed and on Monday I started on another present-omly story. This one is turning out okay too, but I won't talk about it too much because I want to do more writing on it tomorrow.

People, your turn. What do you think is your Writing-Wise Weakness? Let me know in the comments. Do you write tons of dialogue and no description or vice-versa? Do you plan too much and find the writing less fun or do you start without a clue and have to rewrite the whole first half when it's done? Or do you struggle with finishing your first draft?