Armor

I work as a journalist, so I'm writing all the time. But hammering out fiction is a tough task.

I know with my novel, it wasn't easy to write, especially at first. The early drafts were unfocused, with the language and style all over the place, not to mention the lack of fleshed out characters, and world.

This was quite frustrating, and at times very discouraging. But one thing that helped me work through it was this book, John Steakley's Armor.

This book is often considered a military sci-fi classic. It's similar to Heinlein's Starship Troopers in premise, although its more of an anti-war tale. Mankind is fighting an ant-like race of beings, and our protagonist is sent to join this grim conflict, donning his power armor.

He was alone.
No ants here at all. He was in what looked like a dry river bottom and he was alone. He blinked, straightened up from his crouch, took an instinctive step back toward the way he had come.
And the ants appeared.
First one, then three, then nine, a dozen, all clambering over the dune toward him. 
He blazed them all, severing limbs, melting giant skulls.

The prose can be visceral, jumpy and eccentric, but I think I found something I liked in it. That cold, distant, and sometimes matter of fact feel to his writing.

Armor is a fairly dark tale, and you get to see the battles from the perspective of Felix, a hardened, and yet emotionally-wounded soldier, who also happens to be unkillable.

The writing, especially in the first chapters, can convey that emptiness the character feels. There's also a sense of adrenaline, pain and tragedy that lingers throughout passages dealing with our protagonist and his inner struggles.

Why am I still alive? 
He had time to wonder before the shadow loomed over him and there was no time for anything but the struggle and maybe no time even for that, for all was cloudy and indistinct, the ant hazy before him, but moving so quickly, hammering at him, smashing at his chest and faceplate but he couldn't seem to move so quickly as should, as if he were in a thick mist that held him but freed the ant to rake and pummel him from side to side. My God! My God!

Not the easiest sentence to get through, but I liked the unique approach. Ultimately, Armor helped me think more about tone, and what atmosphere my book should give. If it's the end of the world, then my words would need to reflect that.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102327.Armor