(no subject)

Had a rough writing week, but so far, I'm strangely remaining okay with it. I am having loads of trouble on a short story. The most difficult issues are:

-my main character is struggling between embracing his faith and shrugging it off. This is creating two issues:

a)all his inner thoughts are coming off as either preachy or too glib. I want raw, aching belief and despondent shunning

b)rather than a struggle with faith, his dilemma is reads like flip-flopping. I want soul-searching, not looking for the easy-out

-The dialogue is mean and nasty. Which is the point of the story, but it has me fretting over:

a)is nasty, snarky dialogue my gimmick. I love it, I love writing it, it fits the story, but sheesh, do I over-rely on it as a plot/story device. Is it a cheap pop?

b)is it as nasty and snarky as I think? Nothing is worse than weak snark.

c)does it need to be as nasty as I am writing it. Is that any enjoyable read for anyone besides myself?

-Setting. I'm working diligently to avoid my usual blank stages, but it's coming off as so artless. HERE IS WHERE I ADDED A SCENT DETAIL. NOTE THE VISUAL I PROVIDED. THESE ARE THE ITEMS IN THE ROOM AND NOTICED THEY ARE DESCRIBE IN A TONE BEFITTING THE REST OF THE PROSE.

-Back to the flip-flopping, is it even dramatic enough to warrant a story. To doubt a story on such a fundemental level is upsetting. I feel like I'm writing about the peeling instead of the potato.

-No porn in this, I'm relying solely on my dramatic chops. Very scary.