Finding Your Style And Your Voice

I frequently hear writers tell me their fear of writing for a traditional market, especially one such as a category or series line is that they "won't be able to showcase their own voice." There is a belief that if you are "forced into a mold" you lose out on that "uniqueness" of your own writing. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is still very possible to maintain your own unique voice and still meet the needs of a publisher or their given line. It just takes time to do so.

When I talk to authors about voice and style, I often like to take them outside of the realms of writing and look into other fields. Here in Seattle, the music scene is pretty dang big. Back in August of 1991, a fellow classmate of mine by the name of Dave Krusen was part of a group that helped to
guide the Seattle music scene into the forefront of the world. With the release of a small little album entitled TEN, a local group by the name of Pearl Jam was now out there! I mention Pearl Jam here because at that time, there were a lot of other groups starting up and doing much of the same thing. Nirvana releases SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT the same year.

Both of these groups (as well as many others) were all grouped into the same genre, but when you look at the lyrics, the tone, the voice and the style, each is completely unique. In no way did they lose their voice and style by being part of a specific genre.

We see the same thing with artists, architects and so forth. Each can be part of a larger scheme and still maintain that uniqueness. This, however, is not something that is going to happen over night. Finding that unique voice is going to take time. According to David Starkey, author of CREATIVE WRITING: FOUR GENRES IN BRIEF, he reminds authors " that developing a distinctive individual style is a process that occurs over a long period of time; it generally doesn't happen during a single creative writing course" (or in this case one book you may write.

I think it is important to note he uses the term "developing" and the title of this post uses the word "finding". A personal voice and style is not something you sit down and create out of the blue. Authors do not sit down and say, "I am going to be an author who is known for writing romances with a truly American feel." Although it would be great to do so, that voice and style doesn't happen that way. You will end up discovering that voice as you write and find yourself comfortable with certain plot devices and plot lines. You will find yourself returning more often than not to certain techniques in your writing as you craft your stories.

In many ways, finding that voice is similar to people getting nicknames. Babe Ruth did not sit down one day and suddenly create that name for himself. It developed over time. The same goes for all of those other nicknames we call people. The nickname grew organically from the things the person said or the way a person acted.

The key to finding that voice is to just pay attention to what you are doing. Don't force things to happen, just let the writing happen.

As an agent, this is something we do with authors during that "career building" part of our working relationship. And yes, your publishers will do the same thing for you. We take something that is in your writing and slowly shape and mold it. We aren't turning you into something you aren't. We are simply discovering in you that voice and style that was hidden away.

Be Unique Not Different

We have talked in the past about following the rules in publishing. Of course, in our next breath, or the next day's blog, we talk about the fact that there are no real rules in publishing, just guidelines. This got me thinking about the submissions agents and editors receive daily and the struggles writers have when composing queries and proposals.

I see writers using templates to develop queries and submissions. They use templates to develop their opening paragraphs and the blurbs. The problem though is they have become just another number. The story is not something we remember, but something that looks like the 50 other submissions we received the same day.

I am reminded of a line from THE INCREDIBLES. Syndrome makes a comment to Mr. Incredible and describes his ultimate plan. "I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics they've ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so everyone can be superheroes! Everyone can be super! And when everyone's super, [laughs maniacally] no one will be." This is the same with templates. If your forumula looks like everyone elses, then you aren't special.

Now, does this mean you are to do something so outside of the box we remember you? Absolutely not. Now you end up simply looking weird and you are rejected for being too far out there.

The key to being special lies in the story and how you pitch that story to us. We want to see the story is unique. We want to see the characters and the approach you took with the story is unique. Not the presentation of it.

I often describe successful writers as having one foot on the old and one foot on the new. People like to know what is coming and we like to know we can count on things; however, we don't like to be bored. We don't want to think, "Oh, here is another..."

Your job this weekend is to determine what makes your story unique and find a way to pitch it to someone that makes it unique. Maintain the required elements and format, but make it personal.

Scott

Styles have changed, have you?

Since I opened Greyhaus, I have seen a huge number of changes in the publishing industry. We had the rise and fall of chick lit, we had the steam of erotica and then the hot and spicy stories with an edge. We are seeing a mix of genres that provide a new twist to the old stand by. A lot has been going on. Now, here is the question, have you made changes?

I am not talking today about following the trends in the market. You know, the "romantic suspense is hot so I should write that." I'm talking about your voice as an author. Because of the every changing and ever global growing population, the voice and style of the writing we see out there does change to adapt to the reading population. What you will find is that the successful writers out there, the ones with the longevity, have found a way to keep their own voices we have come to know and love, and to adapt and tweak their stories to meet the needs of the changing reader.

I am frequently getting submissions from writers out there that were published once before, but due to any number of reasons, haven't published in a long time. When I read their writing, I feel as if I'm stuck in a time warp. The writing simply hasn't matured over time. The same goes for the writers out there that suddenly find their writing just not as exciting to their editors as it was in the beginning. In the end, the next option book just doesn't happen. Why? Because the writing hasn't matured and grown along the way. The writing is still the exact same we read in the first book. Although readers like consistency, readers do not want to read the same thing over and over again. Simply changing the names and the places isn't going to work.

Your job, as a writer, whether you are published or not, is to continually find a way to grow and adapt. We aren't talking about selling out and following trends remember, but following the voice. There is a fine line here, but I think, no I believe, if a writer does this, the publishing world will continually beg for your books.