Think about why you write the way you do. Can you improve it? Look for favourite phrases - they will creep into your writing unbidden! Mine do! Is your style appropriate for what you’re trying to produce? For example light, easy sentences might not be apt for a dark piece where I’d expect the words to be heavier, darker, to conjure up the right mood. Wodehouse stuck to what he knew - humorous prose - for a good reason. And his light style is perfect for it. Likewise horror writers write in a very different style appropriate for their work. So make sure your style matches.
Knowing Your Characters Well Enough
Are you getting into the heads of your characters well enough? If someone asked you an unexpected question about any of them, could you, based on your knowledge of them, answer it? Is there enough going on in your story? Do your characters change? Do you show how and why? That is the story after all! I’ve always loved reading lines in other books where you can tell a lot about a character in that short section. The first one I felt I did well was where in The Trouble With Mother Hanastrew complains about being made by Eileen to use the instant transport spell with its inherent risks of not having all your bits rematerialize properly with one girl recently losing an arm through the method. Eileen’s retort if the girl had lost her head, she would’ve understood the complaints I was pleased with the moment I wrote it. To get sympathy from this woman, you have to die! Tells you all you need to know, yes?
Writing Dialogue
I adore writing dialogue. It’s descriptive narrative I struggle with. How much to put in? Have I left out something crucial? I do listen to a lot of radio comedy, which has probably helped with dialogue writing. I like being able to come back with a good rejoinder for one of my characters. That, for me, brings a scene to life almost more than anything else.