October 6, 2010

I’m thinking about voice this week, and I’m enjoying (again) Les Edgerton’s excellent book Finding Your Voice: how to put personality in your writing.

He gives an idea (see below) about finding your true writer’s voice that intrigues me–and I’d like your reaction to it.

Your True Readers

He says that most of our daily contacts with people (spouse, people at your day job, small kids, people at the coffee shop) aren’t readers, at least not readers like you are. They may be casual readers, but not readers to the depth you’re a reader. He asks:

“What does this mean to you as a writer? Only this–it’s easy to begin to think of your own potential readership as being comprised of the same kinds of folks you see at work or at play or bearing a strong resemblance to the family next door… After a while, it’s only natural to imagine most people in the country itself are pretty much like the folks you see every day. Well, most folks are…but those aren’t your readers, usually. Your reader is yourself.”

Who Are My Readers?

His advice is to remember that your reader is yourself–or someone much like yourself. (Someone who shares your interests, knows just about the same things you do, has a reading background and history similar to what you’ve had.)

Except for your writer’s group or a friend who reads as voraciously as you do, you may not have a lot of contact with this potential reader, but they’re the ones you should be writing to.

Why–and what does that have to do with finding your true voice?

Where’s the Real Me?

“Make yourself your intended reader,” Edgerton says. “By writing to you as your reader, you get closer than at any other time to getting your real voice on the page. You write naturally.”

I don’t know about you, but doesn’t that sound like FUN? It makes me look at the subject of voice in a whole new much-less-stressful and much-less-intimidating way. I think it’s also the way I used to write.

Want to Try It?

For more about this intriguing way to find your true voice, get the book above and read Chapter Five: “Here’s Lookin’ At You, Kid…A New and Different Way of Looking At Your Audience.”

What do you think about this idea? Would it change the way you write? Does it make it easier to find your voice? Give me your thoughts!

9 Comments »

1. 

   It’s a great book!

   Comment by Beth Mac — October 6, 2010 @ 9:03 am

2. 

   Beth, I agree! One of the best things I got from his book was how to recognize and unlearn some “rules” that had pretty well covered up my original voice. I’m still working on it!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 6, 2010 @ 9:15 am

3. 

   This makes sense in so many ways, Kristi. I guess I’ve always written for myself first, but a younger version of myself. I’m not that different now, but experience has matured me, but the core of me is still the same. Most people have commented that my voice is my strongest quality … I guess I do tap my inner child easily. She’s who I write for first and foremost. She’s the one who didn’t have a voice those many years ago, mostly because she was scared, shy and alone. If only she’d had courage.

   Comment by Vijaya — October 6, 2010 @ 9:33 am

4. 

   Vijaya, I think your inner child and mine could be twins. Certainly soul sisters! Thank you for sharing that–it was affirming to me. I can’t help but think that there are even more kids like that today than ever before too.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 6, 2010 @ 12:06 pm

5. 

   Hi Kristi, just wanted to thank you for the shout-out of Finding Your Voice–much appreciated. Sometime I’ll have to find out your speaking schedule for next year so I can attend and get you to sign Writer’s First Aid for me. And… talk some writing, of course!

   Comment by Les Edgerton — October 6, 2010 @ 6:23 pm

6. 

   Les, thanks for stopping by! I’ve bought hundreds of writing books over the years, but yours is one that I can re-read and learn from regardless of the stage I’m in. It’s made me a better teacher too–as I realized I was imposing the same “rules” on students that were giving me trouble with my own voice! Yes, it would be fun to cross paths and talk shop!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 7, 2010 @ 11:09 am

7. 

   Right on, Kristi!

   I’m about to turn in soon, but I couldn’t after reading this entry.

   Like you, I know this is how I started years ago. It all started with that seemingly deceptive question: What did “I” want to read that I couldn’t find on the bookshelf?

   I still feel that way, but that simple idea got blindsided after half a decade of being critiqued, criticized, and feeling overwhelmed by all the publishing news.

   But I’m so glad you brought this up now, I think we all need to keep this in mind.

   That said, I am confused by a couple things. I know what Les is getting at, but I still finding jarring when people say the

   I mean, I’m sure there are books I love for reasons that don’t mirror what the writer was thinking. That’s why people can have varying opinions on the same book.

   The things that attract me to a book may be considerably different from what inspired the writer to write it in the first place.

   Maybe I need to read the book in context to get this better, but I’ve heard this in a few articles and I’d like to believe it, but it can be hard to stay in that train of thought when those in and out of my critique group still give me “Not quite there yet” pep talks, which I do appreciate, but it’d be nice to better know when a project is done to the point where the story doesn’t have to be re-imagined for clarity or whatever anymore, you know?

   Comment by C.J. Rockwell — October 7, 2010 @ 7:21 pm

8. 

   C.J., I hear what you’re saying. I wish I had some definitive answers for you–and for me! One caution I will give you…if you don’t agree at a gut level with what your critique group advises, go with your gut. I’ve made the mistake of over-riding my instincts, making changes, and then submitting–only to have an editor say that the thing that didn’t work in the story was the very thing my critique group said needed to be there and so I changed it. This happened to me with three books before I “got” it and went back to just editing my own stuff by myself. (Don’t get me wrong–I had a great critique group. But when a novel is seen piece by tiny piece along the way, it’s hard to critique it. Half the time, *I* don’t know what I’m really trying to say until three revisions are done! So someone else can’t really tell me what to change early on.) Full manuscript critiques are probably more helpful when you’re close to being done.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 8, 2010 @ 7:15 am

9. 

   This post made me feel good about my blog writing. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have much of a voice. I’m not overly funny or quirky or loud. I’m not overly knowledgeable or have something really unique to share, such as some I’ve read. For example, writers that quit their day jobs to pursue publication, or writers that have their own classroom full-time.

   But I did create it for myself because I couldn’t find any blogs dedicated to writing picture books. All the PB blogs out there were book reviews, though I enjoy those too! So I do write for myself in that regard. I guess my voice is a little fun, factual, and helpful. Anyway, if I write the stuff for folks like me, and I know I’d like to read it, then I’m hoping they will too. Thanks!

   Comment by Christie Wild — October 25, 2010 @ 9:56 am

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