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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Writing Craft » Page 21

Writing Craft

A Writer’s “Voice”

By Bob Hostetleron October 28, 2020
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A couple months ago I asked some of my clients if there are terms they hear in writing and publishing that they wish someone would clearly and conclusively define. One said this: “Professionals say, ‘Find your voice,’ ‘Trust your voice,’ ‘Embrace your voice.’ I can recognize another writer’s voice, but I can’t for the life of me describe mine. Is ‘your voice’ something someone else has to describe because it’s too hard to be objective about our own writing?”

Heck, I dunno.

See, that’s my voice. Coming through. Right there on your screen. You’re welcome.

Okay, okay, I’ll try to be more helpful than that. But it won’t be easy. Because “voice” is much misunderstood in writing circles. A writer once objected to my coaching, saying, “That’s my voice! That’s how I write!” I did my best to explain that, no, voice is not cluelessness, laziness, or lack of skill. I was a little gentler than that, of course. Probably too gentle because I don’t think he caught on.

“Voice” isn’t style or technique (or the lack of such things). It’s not how you punctuate or don’t punctuate. It has little to do with spelling or the rules of grammar.

It’s you. It’s your personality, your passions, your sense of humor, your modus operandi all rolled into one. It’s how you think, feel, and see the world coming through in writing. It’s what happens when you feel most at home in your own skin, free to express what’s in your heart, mind, and soul. It’s when you stop posturing, performing, or imitating, and the “youness” that is you comes through on a page.

Still not clear? Wondering how in the world you’re supposed to “find your voice” when you’re already you? Shouldn’t it just happen?

Well, no. But there are a few ways I can think of to help you “find” or “free” your voice:

  • Relax.

Stop trying. Don’t try to write like “a writer.” Don’t force yourself to sound a certain way. As the philosopher Dave Mason once sang, “Let it go, let it go, let it flow like a river; Let it go, let it go, let it flow through you.” (You may be too young to hear the tune, so look it up if you need to).

  • Write a lot.

Finding or freeing your “voice” involves—for most people—overcoming the writing habits of grade school or grad school, of the pulpit or the prison. For example, in my experience, academics have a really tough time finding their voice because they were required for so long to suppress their own voices in writing theses and dissertations, all of which has to be unlearned before they can “write like themselves” again. The more you write—as you, not someone else—the more that’s likely to happen.  

  • Master the elements of good writing.

Finding your voice doesn’t mean you can ignore the rules of good writing or eschew critique and editing. In fact, as you improve in those areas, you’ll find your voice because you’ll become freer to be yourself in words, sentences, and pages.

  • Review and reflect.

As you’re writing and when you finish a piece of writing (an article, say, or a chapter), take some time to review and reflect on what you’ve written. Did you feel “at home in your own skin” as you wrote? Did you feel like yourself? Read it aloud; does it sound like you (not necessarily how you talk, but your personality, passions, perspectives—and even words that don’t alliterate)? Or does it sound like someone else? Were you putting on airs? Posturing? Preaching? Performing? Imitating? Ask someone who knows you well to read it and answer those questions. Lather, rinse, repeat.

  • Keep writing. A lot.

Your voice can’t be forced. It’s found and freed as you write, the more you write … and write and write and write. As you become not only better but more “you” as a writer, your voice will emerge. And it will feel suhweet.

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Category: Craft, Creativity, Editing, Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, Writing CraftTag: voice, writing voice

What’s in a Name?

By Steve Laubeon October 26, 2020
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It’s time to start that great novel you’ve been wanting to write for years. You have the story in mind and even the names of the main characters. But what about the other bit players in your story? What names do you give them? Some authors use relatives or childhood friends as fodder for ideas. Some just randomly choose names from a baby name book. Novelists know that names can often …

Read moreWhat’s in a Name?
Category: Writing CraftTag: Names

Nagging Grammar Questions

By Bob Hostetleron October 14, 2020
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Some time ago I asked my clients what publishing terms or concepts they wished someone would define or explain for them. I covered some of those in my September 16 post on this site. Some, however, asked for help with some nagging grammar questions. (We all—even the most accomplished—have such questions.) So I was going to answer them, but then I thought, Why not ask my friend, editor, and grammar …

Read moreNagging Grammar Questions
Category: Writing CraftTag: Grammar

What if You Get a Book Deal on Your Own and Then Want an Agent?

By Steve Laubeon October 12, 2020
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One of our readers asked this via the green “Ask us a question” button.
What happens if you get a book contract before you have an agent? What if, by some miracle, an editor sees your work and wants to publish it? (1) would having a publisher interested in my work make an agent much more likely to represent me, and (2) would it be appropriate to try to find an agent at that point (when a …

Read moreWhat if You Get a Book Deal on Your Own and Then Want an Agent?
Category: Agents, Book Business, Conferences, Contracts, Get Published, SteveTag: Agent, Conferences, Contracts, negotiations, publishers

476 Ways to Avoid Writing “Said”

By Steve Laubeon October 5, 2020
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The folks over at ProofreadingServices.com created the incredible infographic below. Four hundred and seventy-six alternatives to the word “said.” Take care not to use all 476 in your manuscript! Very often “said” is all that is needed. In fact, overusing alternatives can weigh your manuscript down unnecessarily. However, I do hope that having this handy dandy chart at your …

Read more476 Ways to Avoid Writing “Said”
Category: Writing CraftTag: Grammar

A Self-Editing Checklist

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 1, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ How about more tips on some of the pitfalls of writing? What are things to look for when you are self-editing? Here is a short list: Grammar. Most people seem to have fallen asleep during the class on plural possessives, for example. Its and it’s can throw a reader. Weasel words: Look for terms that bog down your writing without adding impact. Those …

Read moreA Self-Editing Checklist
Category: Editing, Writing Craft, Your Questions Answered Series

Strange Writing Habits

By Bob Hostetleron September 30, 2020
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In the acknowledgments for her novel In the Midst of Winter, Isabel Allende reveals that she starts each new book on January 8.  Isn’t that interesting? That little tidbit got me thinking (always dangerous, I know). So, I asked some clients to share any strange writing habits—quirks, superstitions, compulsions, etc.—they might have (also dangerous, I know). Here’s what they said: If I don’t …

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Category: Creativity, The Writing Life

Diligence Is Rewarded

By Steve Laubeon September 28, 2020
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by Steve Laube

The ease of today’s social media communication brings a casual layer to the task of writing. Careful composition is trumped by the need for speed. For most “throw away” emails and posts that is the new normal. But it should never leak into the business of writing, either in craft or in delicate communication.

The other day I received an email query/proposal. There was a very …

Read moreDiligence Is Rewarded
Category: Book Proposals, Communication, Craft, Pitching, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Communication, Craft, Diligence, Writing Craft

May I Use Real Names of Places in My Novel?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 24, 2020
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The “Your Questions Answered” Series __________ I am wondering about whether or not to use real names of places in my novel. Is it better to disguise names of towns and cafes or offices? What about popular franchises like MacDonald’s? When authors write about a town, most inhabitants are thrilled. I wrote Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina, and received a warm reception. I enjoyed …

Read moreMay I Use Real Names of Places in My Novel?
Category: Copyright, Craft, Legal Issues, The Writing Life, Your Questions Answered Series

Learn the Lingo

By Bob Hostetleron September 16, 2020
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The opening scene of the Meredith Wilson musical The Music Man begins on a train, as a bunch of salesmen debate the best sales techniques. One salesman, however, insists repeatedly, “You gotta know the territory.” That applies not only to selling “the noggins, and the piggins, and the firkins,” but also to writing for publication. So I asked a number of my writing friends and clients what …

Read moreLearn the Lingo
Category: Book Business, Contracts, The Publishing Life
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