Discover Your Writer's Voice

As writer's, we all have our own voice. And what exactly might that be? It is who we are, and how we express ourselves. It is our style - it reflects our concerns, our goals, our perspectives, and how we approach life. Our voice evolves as we evolve, reflecting who we are and how we present ourselves in the present moment. 

When I first started writing, I had a hard time finding my voice. I wanted to emulate authors that I admired - I wanted to express myself in the best way possible. I lost myself in the process. So how exactly do we find that voice that is us, that represents who we are? We need to be aware of what we like, what we dislike, and why. We need to understand why we make the decisions that we do. Even the music that we listen to reflects who we are. This is the perspective that we want to show in our writing. 

We have to be willing to show all sides of ourselves, to open the door to our inner shadows, and to allow our writing to be multi-dimensional. The choices that we make, if they are honest choices, reflect who we are, where we are in life, and where we are headed.

What I found was that the harder I tried to develop a voice that was me, the emptier I sounded. My writing was hollow - it had no depth, no perspective, didn't flow, and wasn't even consistent from paragraph to paragraph. When I stopped trying, when I simply sat down and wrote, the world opened up for me. 

My advice - the best way to find your writer's voice is to simply write! Sit down and write! Allow your characters to talk to you, allow them to be. Know that if you are having to force your writing, you are on the wrong path. Set your writing project aside, and start writing something else. Listen to those inner voices - they are there for a reason!

One final thought - read! Read everything you can get your hands on. Your perspective on life will grow exponentially, and you will discover parts of yourself that you never knew existed! I cannot begin to tell you how Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women", "Little Men", and "Jo's Boys" expanded my world!

How well is your writer's voice representing you? If it really isn't, then it is time to step up your game!

(c) March 2019 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

Write First, Plan Later - Plan First, Write Later

Do you write first, then plan later, or plan first, and write later? I am a pantser - I write first, by the seat of my pants, then go back and pull things together. Oh - I have my Bible - a written out guideline for each of my characters that paints the picture of what they look like, what they have accomplished, where they went to school,where they live, where they work, what makes them tick. Without that, it would be all too easy to get off track, or worse, to get them confused! And I do have a general direction that I want my story to go in. I just allow my characters to write it.

I write whatever my characters want to write. And I let it flow, even when I know that I am going to have to research a detail to make sure that my character was right. I tend to do a lot of research on designer cloths, as some of my characters have the larger view of life. I write until I stop. I don't edit as I go along, I don;t check spelling or punctuation - I write! Then I go back and read my story back to myself. Does it sound believable? Does it move well? If it doesn't sound right, or doesn't move well, I may change a word or two. I eventually want this story to sell, after all!

Sometimes I note that I am using a word or phrase with too great a frequency. I try to change what I can, but if I cannot come up with something, I will check a Thesaurus. I try not to get too clever, though. I want the words that I choose to fit into the story, and not take on an unintended life of their own! At times I will take a phrase, or even a sentence or two out. Sometimes even a whole paragraph, if it just isn't working. If it is truly bad, I will just delete it. No harm, no foul. If it sounds good, but just doesn't work with this story, I may save it in a file. I never know when I might need it!

Make sure that you are using the right words for your story. They have to match the story, and they have to move it forward. If they are weighing it down, they need to go. To know in your heart what good writing is, go read some good authors. Look at how their words flow, at the choices they made, and at how those choices affect you the reader.

Here's to the awesome art of storytelling!

(c) July 2012 Bonnie Cehovet