Too often I find myself needing this advice from Hemingway. I think what helps is to identify characters as people I have known in my life. Then I can think, “what would he do in this sort of situation?” It can help to keep things grounded and real.
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One thing that is nearly impossible to teach is finding your writing “voice.” This is the thing that makes you unique. It could be you have a a “here’s the facts, ma’am” style or you enjoy using a lot of puns or word play in your writing, but it is the thing that will gain you and audience.
So how do you find your voice? Mostly it’s just practice, but there is a bit more to it. You may identify authors and emulate their style or incorporate their voice a bit, and that’s fine, because you will never really capture anyone else’s style completely. It will become you.
For me, voice comes to to two things; taking chances and following your passion.
Taking chances means working way outside your comfort zone. You don’t have to publish or even allow anyone to see what you are writing, but don’t limit it. Try stream of consciousness or eliminating punctuation or other ideas that may seem crazy and may yield crazy results, but try it.
Follow your passion. Don’t look at some trend, like 50 Shades of Gray and decide you are going to write a novel in that genre. (Unless S&M spanking and bondage are your passions.) Your true voice will come out when you write about things you are passionate about. We all have passions in life and people share those passions. If you find a niche market to write for, the people will read your stuff.
(A caveat, if you can’t put together a readable sentence, grammar and sentence structure can be taught. Make that effort and then write passionately about it.)
So back to our message, passion. If you are passionate about muscle cars, specifically Corvairs, write about them. Upkeep, maintenance, rebuilding, parts, etc, etc. Niche it down and write with passion.
Here are some great thoughts on writing. “How to” from one of the greats – Henry Miller.
1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to “Black Spring.”
3. Don’t be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
4. Work according to Program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
5. When you can’t create you can work.
6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
7. Keep human! See people, go places, drink if you feel like it.
8. Don’t be a draught-horse! Work with pleasure only.
9. Discard the Program when you feel like it—but go back to it next day. Concentrate. Narrow down. Exclude.
10. Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.
11. Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.
If you found these helpful/interesting you might want to read the book they came from Henry Miller on Writing.
You also might want to consider buying my second novel, Blaze Motors.
Cheers to you all and happy writing!
So are you a panster or a plotter? The verdict is still out, but I think we are all guilty of each to a small degree.
Snidely Whiplash, the ultimate plotter
If you have no idea what I am talking about join the club. Up until a couple days ago I had never heard of a panster and a plotter was someone rubbing their hands together in a mwa ha ha sort of way. But now I find out I am a little of each.
A panster is someone who writes their novels, short stories or whatever, by the seat of their pants. (get it pants- panster?) They put pen to paper, or more likely start typing, but never know where they are going with the plot until they get there.
On the flip side, a plotter is going to have the story laid out in an out line format of some sort. If you are a deviated plotter you probably have venn diagrams, splintered story diagrams, flow diagrams and character reference sheets.. (no, wait.. that’s me)
Plotter vs Panster. There is no versus. This isn’t really Spy vs Spy (thank you Mad Magazine.)
We all have some elements of each in us. Even the most free thinking panster has an idea of how the story is going to end, or at least a story arc of some sort.
And I know, as a plotter, my stories sometimes veer off and head into the sunset taking my careful diagrams with it, and I am forced to restructure. That’s okay.
It’s a beautiful world full of colors. This isn’t a black and white world. We can all get along and sometimes even co-author.
Just a quick update, my latest book, Write Here, Write Now, No Excuses has reached #1 in Kindle’s “Reference Books” category.
