Sometimes You Have To Find Your Right Voice

Why do you keep getting rejection letters? Besides the "stupid" mistakes so many authors make, one of the biggest is that authors just have not found their own voice or style. Authors spend so much time just trying to be like someone else, or to fit into a mold they "think" they are, when in reality, they are something else.

Earlier in my history here at Greyhaus, I had an author who was really determined to be a single title author. Writing with a series or category line was "sooo not what they wanted." OK, that was fine. I am game to go with that. But, that voice was not the voice this person had. This author had a phenomenal voice for series writing. Along with that, her stories, when streamlined for those category lines was spot on. When she tried for single title, the stories became repetitive, and vague. Not sure, whether or not she made it, but this was really a voice issue.

I have seen other authors who found they faced countless levels of frustration with their writing as they tried to be something they were not. Many ended up just quitting writing, which truly was a shame. They were great writers, but, because they ignored where their writing was trying to tell them to go, and went a different direction, they lost out.

I have also seen authors who have submitted to me at Greyhaus where their earlier pieces of writing were just not right. I passed on that project. But later, they went back, rethought their approach, and ended up with much better writing. Just a a side note here, I do have a data base of all my submissions from when I first opened the agency. When I type in an author's name, their name pops up again so I can go back and see what they wrote and some of my thoughts on their writing. It is always great to see authors make that level of growth.

So, how do you determine what your voice is. It all goes back to that gut instinct. Look at what you read voraciously. Look at what you are drawn to when you go into a book store. Look to your career and education. All of these guide you toward your true voice.

I will add, that it is VERY possible to learn a new voice, but that takes time. In many ways, it is just like adding a new major, or even changing your major in your education. What do you do? You take more classes, take another year (and pay another year of tuition 😁) but it is possible. Many authors have done. it. A type of change like this will not happen over night, so be prepared. 

Now the question for you today is... are you truly writing in your voice, or are you trying to be something you are not?