As a first time novelist* I question whether my voice is fully developed. In many ways I doubt it is because I only began writing fiction six months ago. That said, I’ve been a reader all my life. In fact, when I was younger my punishment as a kid was that I couldn’t go to the library until I paid for my sins. That’s how attached I am to the written word.
While penning The Devil’s Playground, I often wonder if my voice is my own or if I’m mimicking my favorite authors. Because of this, I struggle with what I want to say and how I want to say it. Do I write the first draft for me and then edit it with agents, publishers, and readers in mind? Sometimes my answer is yes, other times it’s no.
It sounds romantic to believe that I should write for my taste and be damned with the opinion of the mass market. But if I want my book to sell, I have to find an equal balance between my vision and the public interest.
Many writers say, “Just write. Worrying about the final product comes later.” I understand that concept intellectually, but emotionally I fret over every word. At the risk of sounding like Sally Field, I want people to like me. Or in this case my writing.
As I’m writing my first draft, I question my voice choice. Hmmm…voice choice.
(I stopped typing to think for a moment)
(moments over)
Can a writer’s voice be a choice? Or do we naturally have a voice that is up to us to develop? What do you think? Write your thoughts in the comment section.
*Techinically I’m not a novelist since my book is unpublished. Heck, it’s not even complete. But I like the term novelist: it motivates me to write so I use the term.
A member of my writing group, Aaron Crocco, wrote a blog post (The tools of the trade) where he mentioned that music from
The Smashing Pumpkins, U2, John Legend, and Dave Matthews Band inspire him to write (I’m paraphrasing).
On his blog I commented that I can’t listen to music and drive because I start dancing. But his post did resonate with me. After thinking about it, I believe I’m listening to the wrong type of music. Maybe Salsa and Merengue are meant simply for dancing and not as a motivator to write.
This is where I need your help. In the comments section, let me know songs (along with the artist name) that motivate you to write. Or simply songs that you enjoy. I’ll download the songs on my iPod and see if I can “music and write.”
Btw, Aaron has found the best clip EVER about novel writing. If you do anything today, it should be to visit his site and check out the video.
I’m afraid to go back and reread the chapters I wrote. Since I changed the voice of my MC, everything that I have written (all 23,000 plus words) need to be rewritten. But I figure it’s best to move forward so I can complete the first draft by March 31st. The scenes I’ve written are salvageable, so I won’t have to start from scratch. But each one has to be revisited.
I had difficulty determining my MC’s conflict. Since changing the MC’s voice, the conflict naturally found its way to me. This makes for easier writing. I was able to meet yesterday’s word count without a problem.
Emotionally I was fine with the writing I completed last week. Not overly enthusiastic but content. Saturday came along and everything changed. I worked on a scene that turned out to be too technical. Of course, instead of moving on I obsessed about it into Sunday.
I’ve mentioned several times that I like to write simply. No hard words readers need to figure out. No overly explained descriptions of settings. No analogies or metaphors. Just plain old language…that’s what I want to capture.
I now realize that is the reason my MC took on a southern twang. Books where the characters are from the South are written in a virgin-like voice (I just made that term up). I like that.I also believe this is the reason my MC is young. Children are straightforward and from time to time make insightful comments.
Most of the writing I’ve produced is 10% my voice and 90% what I think others expect to read. Trusting my voice 100% will require that I break from conventional writing. Not a little but a lot. It will affect the overall tone of the book and the structure. That isn’t necessarily a negative, but I wonder whether I’m a skilled enough writer to pull it off.
There’s only one way to find out. This week I’ll write my way without concerning myself with the expectations of others.
Total word count for the week: 3863Click HERE to read previous posts regarding The Devil’s Playground
Last Monday I didn’t post my word count for The Devil’s Playground. Not because I didn’t reach my word count, I did. But because I took the day off my blogging. In the past two weeks I wrote 12,148 words. I purposely wrote more than my goal to make up for the week I lagged behind. I’m still behind my overall goal by over 2,000 words.
One thing that I have noticed during the past two weeks is that my MC has taken on a southern twang. She is using words such as “fretting” and “minding.” I’m not sure why she has decided to do this, but I’m not going to fight her on it. I’ll let her be. I’m curious to see how she will evolve.
Friend: hey
Me: hey
Friend: whats u doin’
Me: not much…writing
Friend: how’s it going
Me: it’s going
Friend: going nowhere, huh
Me: that sounds about right
Friend: why do you continue to write
Me: ego
Friend: explain
Me: every writer feels they have something to say to the world
Friend: what do you want to say
Me: lots
Friend: do you think anyone will listen
Me: i think the world is like a guy. i’ll be writing long after the world has stopped listening
Friend: wow, that’s deep
Me: whatever
