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A blog about the topics of writing, All about writing

Your writing Voice: Do you know it?

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As writers, do you know what your voice is?

According to Margaret Maron, creator of Judge Deborah Knott: “Voice is the most important ingredient in a successful book. The plot may be clever, but if the voice doesn’t engage us, how can we care?”

According to John Morgan Wilson who writes the Benjamin Justice mystery series: “There is difference between voice and style though it is difficult to get at. To me voice is closer to attitude and the emotional quality of the prose, reflecting the personality of the author.”

According to Chris Roerden:” The first step in developing your voice is not to add something but to identify the ineffective writing habit and techniques you’ve picked up over the years and get rid of them.”

My Character Development instructor said he knew my voice and I did as well. Funny I thought to myself for my last instructor told me the same thing. This is a trend for people out of my writing groups who concur with these teachers. How come everyone knows what my voice is but me? I have read numerous articles on this topic. But I try hard not to think on this and just write. Apparently I am accomplishing the voice subconsciously.

Jason Pinter , former St. Martin’s Press editor states: “Voice is the conversational quality of your writing, the way you “talk” to your reader. It’s as important in writing as it is in conversing aloud with someone or speaking to a group. If your voice isn’t confident, assured, authoritative, natural, and appropriate for your characters and story, the writing will feel stilted, forced, ragged, weak, awkward. Just as speaking aloud is ineffective if one is halting, hesitant, lacking in confidence, and so on.”

This one makes sense to me since for now I can’t verbally express my definition of the voice. One good way is to read your story aloud. It may sound silly but it is a good way to hear one’s errors, pace and flow. Perhaps a writer will discover their voice.

Will I ever be able to describe this important ingredient to others? I do not know. Hopefully though my voice is being written loud and clear in my writings.

A blog about the topics of writing, Writing ways

Do you have a space to write?

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Do you have a space to call your own where you can write? Do you have a place where you can close a door and do the many aspects of writing?

I am fortunate that I do have an office with doors that can shut off the rest of the house. It is in my bird room. Yes, bird room. I been rescuing and adopting birds since 1998. Though my birds are no longer in this space when anyone in this house refers to this room it is not Sharon’s office . It is called the bird room.

It is a place for me to have space for my books on writing which can be extensive if one is not careful. I have space for file cabinets. It has space for two huge bookcases to load my favorite authors and new ones, to me, for me to check out.

It has my cork board and a nice size calendar to note when I need to put up a blog post, when I need to send out information through my author’s platform, deadlines on interviews, reviews and the likes.

Now while all one needs is paper and pen, tablet or a laptop to write, having a space to spread out is amazing. I can shut out the world, turn on some good music, have a glass or sweet ice tea or Pepsi and go for it.

The bottom line is I hope you have a space, regardless how it is defined, to write and do the magic you do when you create your WIP. A place that makes you sing internally, and maybe externally, and gets you excited to write.