Sunday, December 21, 2008

Finding Life in the Words

It doesn't take much for writers to start doubting themselves. This past week I got blindsided by three stories that made me question why I bother writing. The stories? First, Patti Abbott's "The Instrument of Their Desire" at Beat to a Pulp. Second, "A Little Harmless Fun" by Jake Hinkson over at A Twist of Noir. And third, also at BTAP, "Hard Bite" by Anonymous-9. Wow! These stories leave you breathless.

But as I took a step back, I realized that even these three stories were different, all powerful in their own special ways. And it struck me that voice is what makes them unique. Each author has their own special voice, which makes each writer unique.

Finding your voice is one of the most difficult lessons for a writer. I remember writing dialogue like Robert Parker, trying to create prose like James Burke, and action scenes like Robert Crais, only to realize that hey, that's not me. So, I've spent this last year searching for my own voice, finding it in the world I grew up in, trying to paint a picture of the people and the county where I live. Trying to fill my characters with some of my fears and beliefs. Am I succeeding? Only time will tell.

What about you? Have you found your unique voice yet or are you still searching through the words?

And a quote today from Virginia Woolf:
"Each has a past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart and his friends can only read the title."

6 comments:

David Cranmer said...

Sandra, I know exactly what you mean. I read all these stories and one called A MULBERRY STREET CHRISTMAS and have the same reaction. I just try to write my little yarns and hope I improve with each outing and entertain a few people along the way. So to answer your question I'm still searching through the words.

Barbara Martin said...

Sandra, I feel doubt often, but I can also see glimmerings of brilliance in my writing. The key is to keep writing, finding topics or ideas that make your soul sing. Then you can thrill your readers.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Hey, I think you have a pretty distinctive voice of your own. Maybe you just can't hear it. I can.

sandra seamans said...

Maybe as writers we're so close to the words that we can't hear our voice only the whispers of the writers we've read and learned from.

And Barbara, what excellent advice! I remember reading a passage in one of my stories that was published and wondering if the editor has changed it because it was so wonderful. When I looked at the original, I found that I really had written that passage. And it's great to see those glimmerings in something we've written.

Anonymous said...

Sandra, I'm knocked out by your compliments, and those of others who have been generous with comments. It makes all the drafts worthwhile.

The voice of Hard Bite is the voice of the main character, a man in pain, holding onto his sanity with one hand. I tried to erase myself and let this character speak for himself. He has lost a great portion of his body and strength, but is still a full man in his actions.

I liked pushing the envelope of "what is a man?" Usually male main characters are strong and active. But what if he's an anti-hero? What if he's weak and broken? Can he still be heroic? I decided to find out and just started writing. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a novel out of him.
Anonymous-9

sandra seamans said...

Welcome to my blog Anonymous-9! It was well-deserved praise and it sounds like you'll be busy pushing the envelope some more next year if you go forward with this character to novel length. I was thinking when I finished reading it that the investigation into the crime would be enough to drive a cop crazy. Good luck!