Has anyone else ever found themselves being to formal on their work? I found when writing my short story last night, when I don't outline that wording often comes off as ... starchy?
I actually joke sometimes they could be going to a skate park, but the characters will still sound like they came from a funeral or wedding. Maybe it's my weirdness.
I thought I'd ask, not sure if others have the issue.:/
My favorite authors mostly consist of Kafka, Beckett, Hamsun, etc... Basically a bunch of 18th/early 19th century shit. And then I sit down to write my contemporary masterpieces and I invariably start sounding like a long-dead Russian with commas for brains (or like Paul Auster). I have to force myself not to be too formal, or old-fashioned. I don't know if this is what you are asking exactly. But I find that reading contemporary stuff, the good stuff, helps me to stay "current" and fashionable. Even reading blogs and short stories online, and The Onion, and things like that. Twitter. All that shit. It helps, it's mostly horrible, but it helps...
To be honest, that's one problem I'm never plagued with. Dialogue is the easiest thing for me, I think the trick is to have numerous imaginary conversations with yourself. The shower is a great place...
My guess is what's going on is you're growing as a writer. Can't say I've ever had this specific problem, but I've definitely developed distastes for things I found I was doing. The best part is you can fix those things.
The best thing to pull from this, I think, is you're reading your work as it's written; you're experiencing your work as your readers will experience it. This is a very hard skill for writers to develop and suggests you've committed yourself to your craft.
Honestly, if I were you, I'd celebrate finding out you hate how your characters sound right now. When you find things about your writing that you don't like, it means you're a better writer today, and you have an opportunity to make your work better tomorrow.
I sort of go the other way with that.