Craft Article
Speak Up! Finding Your Voice by Alexandra Frost
I‘ve always been hesitant to write articles for my chapter newsletter or the Playground. I simply don‘t know what I‘m qualified to teach anyone. Who am I to tell you how to do anything writing related? I‘m not published. I haven‘t been initiated into the secret society and given the handshake to unlock the NYT bestseller list. (Though if you have – call me.) I‘m just me. A writer fighting the battle on a daily basis to get words on a page that someone might want to read. And pay me for. Don‘t forget that part.
My chapter, Heart of Dixie, encourages everyone to provide workshops or craft pieces, regardless of where they are in their writing journey. Everyone has something to share, even if they don‘t think so. So what do I have to offer? Perspective, maybe.
In my years of attending conferences and reading everything I can on this business, there‘s one piece of information I‘ve heard repeatedly. You can have an interesting story, lively characters, perfect grammar, but if you‘re missing this piece, odds are you will have a harder time being successful – voice.
I don‘t know how many spotlights and workshops I‘ve been to where an editor stood up and said what really got them fired up was an unique and fresh voice. This usually elicits mutters from the crowd. How do you make your voice unique and fresh? The editors never tell you that part as voice is one of the few things you just can‘t learn.
Along my curvy path toward publication, voice is one thing that has been consistently mentioned as a strength. Not so much at first, but as time has gone on and I‘ve gotten more comfortable with my writing, my voice has become more distinct. Even in rejection letters, I get a lot of compliments on my voice, even if the premise doesn‘t fly.
If you are unsure about your voice, how do you go about finding it? I can‘t give you a treasure map that will lead you straight to it, but I can tell you about some things I‘ve done that have helped me get in touch with my voice.
Write. I know, you‘re saying ―duh― at this point, but just hold on and let me elaborate here. Write as much as you can. Try not to hold back. The only way to really know what you can do is to just let it flow without internal editors and outside influences. Write, then go back and read it and see what you can find.
Listen. When I was first writing, thoughts or ideas would come into my head and I would edit it out. I thought it was too much. I was supposed to be writing a serious romance here. The quirky neighbor down the hall with S&M tendencies did not fit in to my angst-ridden vampire book. Sex scenes were supposed to be tingle-inducing and sensual, not funny. So I ignored the little voices and wrote the way I thought I should. You will not be surprised to find that my earlier stuff was a little flat. Nothing special. I was editing my voice out of the story without even knowing it. They‘ve already bought Nora. They don‘t need a Nora clone. They want something new, so stop writing what you think editors want.
Ask. If you have critique partners that read your work, ask them about your writing and style and what stands out to them about it. Honestly, I hadn‘t identified that I even had a voice until one of my CPs pointed it out. I was shocked. The thing they identified as making my work unique and distinctly mine was the one thing I hadn‘t given much thought to. And honestly, you shouldn‘t give much thought to it. Your voice should flow naturally.
Blog. If blogging isn‘t your thing, write in a journal. It doesn‘t matter if anyone reads it, but do some kind of work where you are writing as yourself, not as a character. Let the words flow. I have to say that my voice really developed and was honed by my weekly Writing Playground blog. Every Friday I have to come up with something to talk about. This isn‘t my characters talking, it‘s just me. My voice. It wasn‘t long before people pointed out that you could read the blogs without names and know exactly which one of us wrote it. I even had someone tell me that if I could just capture the voice in my blogs and turn it into a book, I would be set. Easier said than done, but it gave me something to think about. This was obviously a strength of mine that I couldn‘t ignore.
Let Go. I think the breakthrough book for me and my voice was a story where I added this snarky secondary character that could say or do whatever he wanted because no one could hear or see him but the heroine. I never let my main characters do this because the hero was supposed to be sexy and alpha and the heroine identifiable. At least that‘s what I thought. I always felt restricted with what I could or couldn‘t do with them because they had to be perfect. The ghost, however, could say whatever he wanted. And boy, did he! My voice really and truly flowed through him. Everyone who read it and knew me well said that they could "hear" me in this character. DING DING! Voice. Right there. Found it.
Explore. Once you have a solid idea of what your voice is, play with it. If you tend to write with a sensual tone, run with it. If you write snappy, light stuff, make the most of it. Don‘t try to write something that doesn‘t work for you just because it‘s what‘s popular at the moment. Force-fitting your voice isn‘t useful and it won‘t help you grow as a writer. You have to embrace your voice once you identify it. Make the most of it. Explore what you can do with it and judge the reactions and feedback you get. You may find you get more positive contest feedback.
Write Again! When you have a grasp on your voice, write like mad. Cherish what is different about your stories and your writing and use it to produce the best work you possibly can. Once I realized that there was a quirk and a snarkiness to my writing that really worked for me, I went with it and came up with some of my best books and ideas yet.
I can‘t give you a step by step map that will lead you directly to your voice, but hopefully the ideas above will help you explore and find it on your own. The most important thing is that you embrace who you are as a writer and use it to your advantage instead of letting it hold you back. It makes all the difference.
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