I. Who Are You?
Not everyone thinks, acts, or solves problems like everyone else. Some writers outline, some don’t. Some use a formula to approach their work, some don’t.
Another person’s writing style may not only be inappropriate for you, but may even keep you from succeeding.
II. There Is No Magic Formula
Too many would be writers spend too much time looking for the ‘secret.’ They believe that if they can find the right software, desk, time, number of hours, the book will flow out of them. They pester successful writers with questions about the when and how, assuming that if they replicate the superficial pattern of success, the creative one will follow.
III. The Three Pillars of Writing
A. Story
B. Craft
C. Voice
CRAFT
A.IT’S ABOUT WORDS:
• Vocabulary
• Word choice
• Cadence
• Clarity
• Dialect
• Dialogue
• Inner and outer …..
B. IT’S ABOUT PLACE
• Research
• Where are you?
• Why are you there?
• Seasons
• Locale
• Detail(s)
C. IT’S ABOUT CHARACTER
• Numbers
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Age
• Relationships
• Back stories
• Arcs
A. Plot device
B. Plot
C. Narrative style
• POV
• Tense
• Person
D. Pacing
E. Flow
F. A story, B story, Multiple stories?
G. Is it a series? Will it be? Could it be?
Who do you read? Who do you sound like? Is your voice different? Compelling? AUTHENTIC? This is such a personal thing and unfortunately is rarely discussed. It is, however, as important as the other two and perhaps may be the single most important of them all. Do not dismiss it. How you write is as much about what you ‘sound like’ to your reader as what you are saying. You know that some people can tell a joke and some people cannot. Writing is the same way. Some people can make a grocery list sound interesting.
If you are struggling with editors, agents, publishers, critique groups, if is probably because you have a bad story line (even literary fiction has a story line) or you have a boring voice. Craft is remediable. If you have a story someone wants to read and an authentic voice that resonates with the story, you are on your way.
So, before you run sobbing onto the dark night of rejection, you need to find out which ofthe three is not working. Craft is teachable so, bad writing cab be corrected. A bad story usuallycannot be turned into a good one. And voice is something that evolves over a lifetime. Read, learn, and inwardly digest the works of those who have gone before. You do not need to suffer from literary laryngitis forever.