Find your own writing voice.—What’s the best way?

Bufty · Feb 19, 2018

Thank you for the helpful response, Old Hack.

I don't, to the best of my knowledge, suffer from any kind of writer's block, but can appreciate how a relaxed approach helps. Indeed that's how the first book came into being- it flowed and kept flowing.

My technique is improving - just have to see if the old git with the scythe allows it to develop fully :snoopy:

Thanks.

I think my main issue is I started very late.

Old Hack said:
I find that if I get close enough to the thing I'm writing about, then the words just happen. It all flows, it is full of action and detail and texture. It is hard to get there: but once I do reach that point, the writing works (for me, at least!). And I'm not alone: other writers have described that state of writing in flow and have recognised the quality of the work they produce when they achieve full flow.

It's reasonable to assume that the creative flow-state is very close to the hypnotic state, and also to the meditative state. Now, I'm very easy to hypnotise and have learned over the years to get myself into something approaching that deeply relaxed state when I'm writing. When I manage it, I write my best stuff. I've also done quite a lot of research into writers' block, and have read several compelling pieces of research which say that block usually comes when writers are being overly self-critical.

(Stay with me here. I will get to a point soon.)

If block is caused by overly harsh self-criticism, then it can be cleared by practising self-compassion.

If the flow-state is a meditative, hypnotic state then it can be achieved by meditation and mindfulness.

There are lots of guided meditations online which focus on self-compassion.

I have helped several writers through the most horrendous blocks simply by getting them to commit to using those guided meditations every day. Five minutes, ten, twenty: find some that you like, give yourself a quiet hour without interruptions, spend time listening to the guided meditation and then write. It works.

Layla Nahar · Feb 19, 2018

Old Hack said:
If block is caused by overly harsh self-criticism, then it can be cleared by practising self-compassion.

+1.

Atlantic12 · Feb 19, 2018

blacbird said:
A "voice" in writing may vary with the particular piece being written. It's a matter of "feel" to get the prose that most properly fits the piece, as much as it is a matter of overall writing "personality". To get either at their best, ya gotta write. I don't think it's something you can "plan" the way you might do a plot outline.

caw

This is absolutely true. There's a subtle difference between what I call "book voice," and the voice the author develops based on personality and experiences, habits and preferences. The book voice might be quite different from one work to the other. I'm facing that now in digging deeper into revisions of my next book. It's narrated 1st person, while the previous book was a straightforward 3rd person limited with multiple POVs. Though both books will share a lot of my writing "style" or personal voice, the book voices are wildly different.

Another thing I think people could pay attention to is writing honestly and authentically instead of worrying so much about being clever. This goes back to what others said about digging deeper and getting emotionally tapped into the characters and story. A good story doesn't need tricks or gimmicks to stand out. An honest, personal voice will do it. It shows the author cares about the story and characters, and is doing it justice. It might take many, many revisions to get there.

So basically, I wouldn't worry about voice or style or any of that. It comes from being honest and hard working and, as others said, self-compassionate (and also confident!).

The Black Prince · Feb 20, 2018

Some have already said it, and it is this.

Write. A lot.

The first time I completed a novel (1997) I thought it was both unique and a work of utter genius. I was having daydreams of publishing companies driving dump trucks full of money up to my house, and signing away the film rights for millions in a crystal skyscraper in a city too cool to even exist!

It was rejected about a hundred times and these days I can't read two sentences without vomiting blood.

At the time, I knew that my writing was different, but I hadn't quite found my voice. But as soon as I started the second novel I realised the whole flavour was different again - I had relaxed into my own natural style and was no longer trying too hard to be original.

That book was also rejected, but publishers and agents started saying: send me the next thing you do.

Ten years later (after a couple more rejected novels and several rejected screenplays) I finally had a novel accepted and that time, the first publisher to whom I sent it said yes. By that time I had totally found my voice and to this day I have it effortlessly.

I've now had four novels published but it took me twenty years to find my voice.

The Black Prince · Feb 20, 2018

So what I meant by all that...

Just keep writing and eventually you will relax naturally into the storytelling voice that most characterises what you say and how you say it.

I've had novels published in two different genres plus one commissioned biography. Readers of all books tell me my voice in all is unmistakable...but I'd been writing nearly twenty years before the first book was published.

Voice doesn't happen overnight.

vhilal · Feb 22, 2018

I tried (but failed) to find a link to an article I read recently that provided some tips for finding your writer’s voice. Those that stuck in my mind were: consider your favorite songs and books and what they have in common, and finding three adjectives to describe yourself. The summary was that if you’re a spunky person you’re probably going to be comfortable writing in a spunky way, if you’re poetic then that’s probably going to be your natural style. Not sure I believe this is true for everyone, but it helped me reflect on my own voice, whether it’s true to who I am, etc. You can « copy » a lot of different voices, but until you find your own, it’s hard to provide a consistant experience for your readers/fans.

Odile_Blud · Feb 22, 2018

I think it's something that comes naturally. You develop it over time.

The Black Prince · Feb 23, 2018

vhilal said:
I tried (but failed) to find a link to an article I read recently that provided some tips for finding your writer’s voice. Those that stuck in my mind were: consider your favorite songs and books and what they have in common, and finding three adjectives to describe yourself. The summary was that if you’re a spunky person you’re probably going to be comfortable writing in a spunky way, if you’re poetic then that’s probably going to be your natural style. Not sure I believe this is true for everyone, but it helped me reflect on my own voice, whether it’s true to who I am, etc. You can « copy » a lot of different voices, but until you find your own, it’s hard to provide a consistant experience for your readers/fans.

In all seriousness, I would say forget about any sort of quick fix ideas. Voice has to be natural...can't be forced or contrived. It's what emerges naturally from your years of slaving at your art.

Just relax and let it happen.

Caffrey · Feb 23, 2018

Did anyone mention writing a lot?

Voice takes time to develop. Many years ago I was told I have two writing voices: lads down the pub irony and ironic lads down the pub! I wasn't best pleased but the more I considered it, the more it seemed to be true. It took over a decade to change that.

I probably have three different voices; despite that, all have a number of similarities. If I look back at things I wrote 30 years ago the voice is there but not obvious. Try to not imitate, not to follow, and it will appear ... eventually!

morngnstar · Feb 23, 2018

The Black Prince said:
In all seriousness, I would say forget about any sort of quick fix ideas. Voice has to be natural...can't be forced or contrived. It's what emerges naturally from your years of slaving at your art.

Just relax and let it happen.

Consciously using technique to develop your craft and years of slaving at your art aren't mutually exclusive.

The Black Prince · Feb 23, 2018

No they aren't mutually exclusive in improving your writing craft, but what exactly is voice?

Voice is that essential flavour or character that makes your writing distinct - where a person could read any random paragraph and instantly know it was yours. I believe that comes from years of writing so that it becomes second nature to effortlessly pour your own individuality onto the page.

Using tips (to find voice) from others may distract you...or even help you find their voice.

Harlequin · Feb 23, 2018

Quirks are a big part of voice.

Put Harlan Ellison through SYW and you'd come out with a more grammatically sound, leaner piece of writing but it also wouldn't sound like Harlan Ellison.

At least, that's what I tell myself when I stubbornly refuse to correct my abuse of semi-colons, long sentences, and irregular rhythmic structures. It's a quirk, dontcha know.

blackcat777 · Feb 23, 2018

I had a eureka moment about voice watching one of my favorite comedians do a skit in which he played all the different characters himself and dressed up differently for each one of them.

Every character was unique... but the jokes and humor in their interactions were the comedian's signature sense of humor. And that was when it hit me, what voice is.

The Black Prince · Feb 23, 2018

Yep, that sounds like he had it nailed.

indianroads · Feb 23, 2018

Read Breakfast of Champions or Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

Voice, I believe, comes from life. We are the sum of our experiences - and that shows itself in our writing.

Transformersfan123 · Feb 26, 2018

Write. I developed my own writing voice through writing my first trilogy, but also through copious amounts of fan fiction. The more I wrote, the more I sounded like myself. Voice is such a personal thing, but many people copy their favorite authors at first. It's a part of the learning experience. Write as much as you can, and you'll eventually find your voice. I promise.

Mburrell · Mar 2, 2018

Don't worry about it. Keep reading and writing. Read different writers. When I read Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, I said, "I want to write like that." The southern writer, Harry Crews, said when he decided to become a novelist, he copied Graham Green's The Heart of the Matter word for word by hand. Yet nobody in the world writes like Crews.

tharris · Mar 6, 2018

In another thread I posted about fixing clinical writing, someone told me that learning how to write technically perfect prose was a good start, but then you learn how and when to break the perfection to give the prose humanity (paraphrasing). This struck me as true. My theory is this is where the writer's voice starts to come into play. Every writer falls on a spectrum outside of normal. Being absolutely normal gives you no voice.

LJD · Mar 6, 2018

I'm actually reading a book on voice right now. It's called Finding Your Writer's Voice. It's interesting, though for me personally, it's not all that helpful, because I already have a pretty good handle on my voice. But depending on the stage you are at in writing, it may be quite useful. I'd recommend taking a look. It's not too expensive.

Jo Yan · Mar 6, 2018

Writing a lot sounds like a good 1st step. A necessary but not sufficient condition for finding voice. My pops played golf a lot and for almost 50 years, but he never did break 100.

Find your own writing voice.—What’s the best way?

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Atlantic12

The Black Prince

The Black Prince

vhilal

Odile_Blud

-_-

The Black Prince

Caffrey

morngnstar

The Black Prince

Harlequin

Eat books, not brains!

blackcat777

The Black Prince

indianroads

Wherever I go, there I am.

Transformersfan123

Mburrell

tharris

LJD

Jo Yan