Do you offer any advice to writers?
I used to write to people when I was an editor and suggest they “dig deeper” and they would ask me what that meant. I wanted them to take risks with their writing; they were too restrained. I thought they should expose them-selves more so that the work will resonate with the reader. I felt they were writing too much as an outside observer.
Readers can see when it’s just wordplay, or you are adding surprise twists, or you are being cute with words. They can see when you are just doing things for effect. You can also see that the writer is willing to go so far but they are not willing to go any further. I don’t think restraint makes for good work.