Writing To Be Read

            Writing courses talk about finding your voice in your writing, but how exactly does one go about that?  Just opening your mouth and speaking could be considered as finding your voice, because it’s right there, just waiting to be called upon, but that’s not the same as finding your voice in your writing.  No matter what type of writing you embark on, no matter what your genre, your personality is going to merge with your writing to give it a distinct style that is all your own. Your voice shows in your word choice, your grammar, and even in the way that your distinct characters develop. 

            At times you can pick up the phone and within the first sentence, possibly from just a word or two from the speaker, you are able to identify who is on the other end of the conversation.  With the written word, we don’t actually hear a voice, but our minds can create one in our heads, from the words that you choose and the way that you phrase them.   I don’t mean to say that every character that you create will sound exactly like you.  We wouldn’t want them to. Certainly, there are some characters that require only a brief introduction to be identified because the authors have created a voice for them that is very distinct.  For example, “Call me Ishmael.” from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, or “I am a man more sinn’d against than sinning.” from Shakespeare’s King Lear, and a distinct mental picture is guaranteed to form when the character created by Ian Fleming says, “My name is Bond – James Bond”.  We want a variety of characters that are colorful and rich, but even though you may give your characters different and unique voices, a little bit of your own voice will be there guiding them.

            What you need to do to discover your voice, (and discover is really a better word, as find implies that your voice has been lost), is to form an image of what your are describing in your own mind and then craft the words, as honestly and as clearly as possible, so that the reader might be able to form the same, or at least a similar mental picture from them.  Voice is something that can not be created or forced, you have to relax and let the words flow onto the paper.  Don’t try to use language that makes you sound like you know more than you do because it will sound false to the reader, instead of natural and easy.  When you use your own voice, you hear comments like, “I don’t know how you are able to write so well.” even when what you wrote doesn’t sound like anything special to you.  My best advice is to be yourself at all times, even when you are being someone else in the story.

            Although you may have created a character with a distinctive dialect or a very direct manner of speaking that is unlike your own, readers who are familiar with your writing will be able to recognize your voice and know that you are the author.  Stephen King tried to test this theory by publishing what are now referred to as the “Bachman Books”, under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman.  Many dedicated King readers started making comments like, “Hey, this guy writes a lot like Stephen King.”   Eventually the truth came out that Stephen King was indeed the author of these books.  He didn’t fool readers that were familiar with his work, because his voice was still recognizable in the works.  It is impossible to completely erase yourself from your writing and still be convincing.

             If you’d like to see what I mean, you can try this little writing exercise that I got from a creative writing class.  Think of an event that has happened recently and then, in your own words, describe what happened.  Then take that same event and describe it as someone else that was there.  If you are describing a concert, you might want to write as a member of the band, or perhaps a friend that has a different point of view from your own. A trip to the grocery store, might be described by the check-out clerk, who totaled up your order, or your child or your dog might tell of a visit to the park.  You might come out with two very different stories, but both are written by you and your voice will be there somewhere.  Remember, everything you write reveals something about yourself to your readers.  See what you think my closing poem says about me.

My ‘Vette

Cherry red to catch the eye

Makes heads turn as I fly by.

Slow is not a word that this car knows

It flashes by, wherever it goes.

It’s me and my ‘Vette and the open road

A chance for me to unburden my load.

The 350 doesn’t hum, it purrs

All my troubles soon become a blur.

The stress and problems of the day

My ‘Vette sends marching on its way.

My hair may ruffle in the breeze

When the ride is over, I feel at ease.

Without my ‘Vette, I am stressed and tense

As if walking a tightrope or riding a fence

Like a woman whose lost an important bet

I am lost, without my ‘Vette

Copyright ©2009  Kaye Lynne Booth 

            I know, I talk lot about words, but where would writing be without words?  I’ll tell you, it just wouldn’t be.  We use words to create images and we use words to confer ideas, and we use words to tell our stories.  Without words, the images would remain in our minds, as would the ideas, in abstract form, and the stories might never develop at all.  We use words, not just to write, but to communicate verbally, without giving them a second thought.  Writers probably think about the words we use more than the average citizen, but I think even writers take them for granted a lot.

            As writers, we put sentences out there onto the page every day, (hopefully), but do we really think about what we’re doing, or does it just come automatically?  I don’t know about you, but when I start writing, the words just pretty much flow out onto the page, (or the screen), and I don’t give much thought to whether I am using nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, etc… until later, when I go back to edit.  I am fortunate, in that I was always good at English, so most of my words usually flow out in the correct order, (but not always), and the editing of my own work usually consists of only a few grammar and spelling corrections.  What I often find is that my corrections more often than not, have nothing to do with sentence structure and proper grammar, but with word choice.

            When a sentence doesn’t flow smoothly, it can be for many reasons, but the most common one is that we haven’t used the right words.  The words used may convey the meaning or idea just fine, they may even paint a wonderful picture on the page, but if the words don’t flow smoothly, the reader may be lost just as easily as if you were using jargon that was too technical, or you created images that were not clear, but confusing.

In poetry, the flow is obviously important, but it is important in fiction and non-fiction writing, as well.  Often, changing one or two words is all that is needed to make a sentence flow more smoothly.  The trick is to find words that will improve the flow, while at the same time creating a clear an accurate image or portraying the same idea.  A Thesaurus can be a wonderful help in these instances, and if you are lucky, the word that you find to make the sentence flow smoother, fits your image or idea even better than the word you had used originally that was hanging a sentence up.  That, my friends, is the art of writing; finding exactly the right words to convey a meaning or portray a picture and still have writing flow smoothly, so that it appears as if the words come easily, even when they don’t.

            There will be more to come in future blog posts on this subject, but for now, let me give you a few basic tips on making your flow smoother and your work more enjoyable to read:

• ·        Unless you are writing a scientific report or a technical journal, write as if your reader is a dear friend with a warm sense of humor.

• ·        Substitute ‘that’ for ‘which’ whenever possibly to keep your writing from sounding too stiff.

• ·        Use occasional contractions, just as you would in ordinary speech, (won’t, can’t,  I’ll, we’d, etc…), and don’t be afraid to say ‘I’ when you mean ‘I’.  Using terms like ‘this writer’ only puts distance between you and your reader

• ·        Don’t be afraid to use dialog wherever the situation warrants it.  Dialog adds drama and can draw your reader into the scene.

• ·        Don’t be afraid of short sentences.  Even one word sentences can work to move your writing along, especially if placed in the midst of several long sentences, or it can drive your point home when placed at the end.

• ·        The more abstract your subject is, the more it should be laced with graphic illustrations, analogies, quotations and concrete details.

• ·        Avoid weak adverbs, such as very, extremely, really, etc…Instead of trying to convince your reader of how ‘very’ upset she was, simply state that “she was shattered.”  If the word that you are using is not as strong as you want it, don’t try to give it emphasis with a weak adverb, find a stronger word.

• ·        Make sure that each sentence that you write has a connection to the one preceding it and the one that follows.

• ·        If you enjoy putting questions to your reader, do it at the beginning and make sure that you answer it.  Don’t pose a question at the end and leave your reader wondering.

• ·        Use semi-colons to reduce choppiness.

• ·        Always read your work aloud.  This way you can discover most of the problems and correct them, so your reader will never even know they were there.

• ·        Allow your sense of humor into your writing.

• ·        Vary your pace to keep your work alive and vital, (advice from Dr. Suess)

• ·        Avoid exclamation points, unless you are writing an advertisement or a comic book.

• ·        If a paragraph sounds unnatural when you read it aloud, and you can’t figure out any other way to word it, take a ten minute break and go read one of your favorite authors.  Try to soak in their style and then try to rewrite that paragraph as they would.

I think that the following poem flows fairly well.  As a reader, you may judge for yourself. 

At the Crossroads

Lord, I’m at a crossroads.

I don’t know what to do.

Which way to go and where to turn

Is what I’m asking you.

I need your guidance in my life

You’ll show me the right way

I know that I can count on this

If everyday I pray.

There is so much information

That it overwhelms my mind.

I don’t know how to go about it,

But the truth I need to find.

Without knowing what really happened

I don’t know how I should respond

The only chance I have to tell

Would be a message from beyond.

So, please Lord, hear my prayer today.

Let me see the light.

Then give me strength so I can do

What you feel is right.

Copyright ©2009  Kaye Lynne Booth 

Writer’s block.  There, I said it.  Probably the two dirtiest words in a writer’s vocabulary and neither one of them have four letters.  There are those who claim that there is no such thing; that writer’s block doesn’t really exist, but is just an excuse for the writer to procrastinate and avoid getting down to business.  Anyone who has faced it, and had to deal with it can tell you that it’s real alright; it’s like a wall comes down inside your brain, and you can sit there at the keyboard willing your fingers to type out something, anything, but nothing happens. When a writer gets writer’s block, it is one of the most frustrating situations that we face.

There are two types of writer’s block in my opinion.  It depends on what type of writing you are trying to do as to which type might be plaguing you.  The first type of writer’s block rears its ugly head when you are just trying to think of something worthy of writing about and you are setting the content limits yourself.  In this case, any idea that pops into your head will do to cure the situation, providing you can get it from your brain to the paper.  The second type of writer’s block is a little more difficult to remedy.  It usually appears on the scene when you have an actual assignment, with guidelines and limitations set for you, and possibly even a deadline to make.  This writing can feel forced to begin with, because even as the author, you don’t have free reign.   You might avoid this type of writer’s block by simply not accepting jobs that require you to write outside of your own interests, but that is not always financially practical.

With either type of writer’s block, the goal is to get the creative juices flowing once again, but how do we shake it loose?  The answer to this sounds simple, but it’s not always.  The answer is to find inspiration.  I touched on this in a previous blog post, “Can You Feel It?”  One of the main points of that post was that writers are inspired the most by the things that they are passionate about, and I stand by that, as long as your content is not limited by anyone but you.  However, when you are writing by guidelines set by the client, you ay find it difficult to be inspired by their new, handy, dandy vacuum or their research results that they insist are astounding, but seem to drone on as scientific bore. 

My favorite method for breaking down the wall that writer’s block has built in your mind is to start writing whatever comes to mind, kind of in a free flow until something worthwhile comes out.  In all the mush and garbage that sloshes around in my mind, something good will usually float to the surface, eventually.  When working with a deadline, this method may not always be practical, especially if there is an unusual amount of sludge to trudge through. 

Sometimes I think that I just try to hard.  I concentrate so intensely on coming up with an idea that my brain just contracts and freezes up.  Even if the most brilliant idea that I ever had, decided to bubble up to the surface at one of these times, my brain is gridlocked and wouldn’t let it through.  I know this is the case when I am thinking so hard that I need a double dose of Excedrin because I can fell the pressure building within your head.  At times like this, it may be a good idea to just stop trying.  I go and relax for awhile; take a hot bath or a long walk; let my mind wonder and think about anything but writing.  It doesn’t have to be long, maybe a half an hour or so. When I sit back down to write after a short amount of ‘me’ time, I find that I am not as tense and the ideas flow a little more easily, because I’ve given them room to move; I’ve broken down the wall that was holding back the current and my brain is able to function again.  

Often, I find that those ideas were there all along and I just wasn’t listening.  I think that we all have voices in our heads, but it’s hard to know which ones we should listen to and which to ignore.  I wrote a poem about it once.  It was displayed over a picture of a painting done by artist Mitchell Barrett of the same title last August at the Fremont County Writers’ and Artists’ Fair.

Voices

Is what I hear voices from above?

Or are they the voices of foolish love?

Sometimes they tell me to open my eyes,

And not believe your blatant lies.

Sometimes they tell me to forgive all.

At times they warn that I’m about to fall.

Sometimes they whisper, so I can barely hear.

Other times, they are so near

That it sounds as if they’re shouting in my head.

Sometimes they caution; I could end up dead.

They tell me I’m heading for dangerous ground,

Or tell me I shouldn’t have you around.

Sometimes they say I’m headed straight for the top.

Other times, they scream that I must stop.

They urge me to go faster,

Then they say slow way down.

They seem to speak most

When there’s no one around.

They tell me to do what I feel is right,

But then they say that it’s not worth the fight.

When I feel that my heart is shattered glass,

They say that I’d better get off my ass.

They that I might just think for a bit,

But they never allow me to give up or quit.

I listen, sometimes long into the night,

And they always say that I must do what is right.

They push me one way, then pull another.

Sometimes they sound just like my mother.

Often, I wonder if they’re from my past.

Sometimes, I long for silence at last.

Is what I hear voices from above?

Or are they the voices of foolish love?