tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post1153228849831109729..comments2024-03-05T11:26:21.204-06:00Comments on All the World's Our Page: Caught Red-Handed or How to Leave Fingerprints Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-63240294624561108962011-03-29T00:16:36.943-05:002011-03-29T00:16:36.943-05:00Excellent post, Susan. I have to say my voice shi...Excellent post, Susan. I have to say my voice shines through most when I'm writing Madison. We're alike in so many ways, and yeah, she has definitely adopted my sense of humor. (Or lack thereof in some peoples' opinions. (g)) She's a cornball, but for me, she comes out naturally. Guess that says a lot about me. :)<br /><br />I think what you said is true, though. You just have to write honestly. It's difficult because you don't want to be judged harshly for your secret thoughts and words, but it's what you have to do to capture your own unique voice.Jennifer Hendrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01239194419535919631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-47119200631241367842011-03-21T15:23:44.994-05:002011-03-21T15:23:44.994-05:00Louise -- Welcome fellow crusader! Nice to see you...Louise -- Welcome fellow crusader! Nice to see you here. <br /><br />Hurrah for finding your voice and recognizing it. Writing is so much easier with your own voice, isn't it?Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-64584251411747296402011-03-21T12:52:52.254-05:002011-03-21T12:52:52.254-05:00I think I've found my voice now. It came when ...I think I've found my voice now. It came when I was writing my first published novel and it was a struggle to keep it as a straight romance. Now I write comedy romance, and I feel comfortable.<br />Crusader saying hi. Hope to see you over at mine soon. Bring a bottle!Louise Wisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04585797594757452007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-19454795454094589722011-03-20T17:12:02.254-05:002011-03-20T17:12:02.254-05:00Deniz - Yeah, me too. I have "voice envy.&quo...Deniz - Yeah, me too. I have "voice envy." I love Kristen's incredibly sensual voice, I enjoy Diana Gabaldon's voice, and so on. <br /><br />You can always try on another voice for fun. Mimicking a favorite author is a great way to understand the craft. But it won't be YOU, then, will it? *sigh*Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-17407516877755533702011-03-20T17:04:03.325-05:002011-03-20T17:04:03.325-05:00Thanks Rachel! There really is no short-cut to fin...Thanks Rachel! There really is no short-cut to finding your voice, is there? Simply sit down and write! <br /><br />I love your voice, btw. :)Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-42853775956966181572011-03-20T17:02:42.913-05:002011-03-20T17:02:42.913-05:00Adina, interesting that the very things that made ...Adina, interesting that the very things that made your voice, were the things you worried about. I agree, though, that when you've found your voice and you're "in your groove" so to speak, that writing comes so easily.Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-38630071827218998312011-03-20T16:58:08.938-05:002011-03-20T16:58:08.938-05:00@ Tina - LOL, yes, I tend to worry about what Grea...@ Tina - LOL, yes, I tend to worry about what Great Aunt Beatrice will think. It's a big stumbling block for me. <br /><br />@ Carol - You're one of the lucky ones, then. I was just commenting that the same happened to me. It was a seamless transition.<br /><br />@ Susan - Isn't that a nice way of looking at it? I love Rachelle Gardner's definition.Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-40018844207801228962011-03-20T16:53:57.952-05:002011-03-20T16:53:57.952-05:00Claire - I have to admit, I never really thought m...Claire - I have to admit, I never really thought much about authorial voice. I developed one before I knew what it was, actually. (I wonder if that's a byproduct of starting to write at young age, before learning to mask what's inside us and therefore, bury our voice?)Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-67932482989046874672011-03-20T16:46:39.629-05:002011-03-20T16:46:39.629-05:00@ E.C. Smith: Grinding it out is pretty much the w...@ E.C. Smith: Grinding it out is pretty much the way to do it. It comes easier for some, but all of us have to write, a lot, to develop our voice. <br /><br />@ Kari Marie: It's sometimes hard to let go of a lifetime's worth of guarding ourselves. Writing is cheap psychotherapy. :)Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-38148058701416943842011-03-20T15:27:30.776-05:002011-03-20T15:27:30.776-05:00Great post Susan! I think my voice has always sort...Great post Susan! I think my voice has always sort of been there from the very beginning - and yet I worry, because it's not a smartass, funny, quirky voice. It would be interesting if we could try on other authors' voices for a day or two [g]Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-41394045785797498082011-03-20T01:20:33.782-05:002011-03-20T01:20:33.782-05:00I think I found my "voice" the way most ...I think I found my "voice" the way most people do - simply by writing and writing, and then writing some more. But you make a good point about the need to write honestly. If your voice is buried beneath layers of image and ego and self-defence mechanisms, then it will always be muffled. <br /><br />Excellent post, Susan!Rachel Walshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15406943046329566026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-79619844187597302092011-03-20T01:12:18.844-05:002011-03-20T01:12:18.844-05:00I must admit that I had difficulty in really under...I must admit that I had difficulty in really understanding what this often cited 'writer's voice' was all about back when I started writing, but I think you've described it really well and what you've said does make sense to me!<br /><br />I think what identified being 'on the right track' for me was that the words started flowing more easily. The whole process became less tortured. Though funnily enough, some of the unique elements which would identify my work as mine are the things I worried would put off agents, editors etc. So yes, honesty and courage and writing which is very much your own and not too derivative are all part of the package.<br /><br />I don't think the whole 'finding your voice' is easy for many of us though, and I certainly struggled on my way to get there!Adina Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08860528131098237473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-23894305233947982362011-03-19T19:45:08.478-05:002011-03-19T19:45:08.478-05:00"Voice is all about your originality and havi..."Voice is all about your originality and having the courage to express it." That's a great definition!Susan Fieldshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02433408456603462774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-2680771266038741762011-03-19T17:47:44.298-05:002011-03-19T17:47:44.298-05:00Nice explanation of voice! Weirdly, I never worrie...Nice explanation of voice! Weirdly, I never worried about finding my voice. I just wrote. That was in the 1990s before I was online so much and read all about it. :)Carol Riggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092209912983783974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-3278528538072261802011-03-19T15:41:34.013-05:002011-03-19T15:41:34.013-05:00Great post, Susan.
The thing that most helped me...Great post, Susan. <br />The thing that most helped me find my writer's voice, something I had trouble with when I first started, was to stop worrying if people were going to judge me by what I had my characters doing and saying. Not easy to write a steamy love scene if I pictured Great-Aunt Sadie reading it, hand poised in the phone to tell my Grandma I'm a pervert. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-49318380077195204302011-03-19T09:18:47.204-05:002011-03-19T09:18:47.204-05:00Love it, Susan. At one of the writing classes I at...Love it, Susan. At one of the writing classes I attended a fortnight ago, one of the ladies in the class put her hand up and asked, a little despairing, what to do about the fact that her writing "voice" always sounded the same. The instructor asked if she meant that her characters always sounded the same, and she said no, she meant that you could always tell it was she who had written the story. Funny to hear it out of someone else's mouth, because everyone in the room was a bit like, yes- that's *your* voice! You want that! And yet many of us have probably thought similar things ourselves in the past without paying too much attention to what's good about consistent authorial voice.Claire Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15286952159573145712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-16294392379726770112011-03-19T08:06:17.021-05:002011-03-19T08:06:17.021-05:00Write honestly. It sounds so simple. You are right...Write honestly. It sounds so simple. You are right we spend a lifetime guarding ourselves and writing strips it away (or at least it should). Great post.KM Nallehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06714392426676743868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-31232551562242221152011-03-19T07:50:13.891-05:002011-03-19T07:50:13.891-05:00Honestly, I found my "voice" by grinding...Honestly, I found my "voice" by grinding it out. By doing the everyday thing and sitting down to write. Like you, I lose it sometimes...in fact, I lost it this week!...and haven't quiet found my way back to it. So frustrating! <br /><br />But, thank God for you. Your post really hit home. "Listen to my own voice" and "write honestly". Gee, why didn't I think of that?!! So...getting back in my chair now....grin.Coreene Callahanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15812176162873554070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-64845272886356893032011-03-18T17:47:40.431-05:002011-03-18T17:47:40.431-05:00Raquel, glad it was helpful!Raquel, glad it was helpful!Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-56658635751057368952011-03-18T17:47:03.545-05:002011-03-18T17:47:03.545-05:00Lucy, That's an interesting way to find your v...Lucy, That's an interesting way to find your voice. I love the idea of a "secret" for any character, but to tie it in with voice is brilliant.Susan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-63225221192230059712011-03-18T16:54:40.718-05:002011-03-18T16:54:40.718-05:00That elusive "voice"...argh! Your post ...That elusive "voice"...argh! Your post was very helpful. Thanks! =)<br /><b><a href="http://raquelbyrnes.com/" rel="nofollow">Edge of Your Seat Romance</a></b>Raquel Byrneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12870113745683162915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-6722885415676169132011-03-18T15:41:52.710-05:002011-03-18T15:41:52.710-05:00Oh definitely, Zan Marie. Voice is a complicated s...Oh definitely, Zan Marie. Voice is a complicated subject and I tried to keep it simple. But yeah, an author's voice may change from book to book, but the indefinable "thing" that makes you YOU, is still there. <br /><br />And then there's the whole complex subject of character voice, which I didn't touch on. How do you make each character sound unique? Why does Laura Grace sound like a retired teacher and why does Samantha sound like a little girl? And why do they sound uniquely YOURS, rather than, say, mine? With my voice, I'd have a different Laura Grace and Samantha. <br /><br />It's enough to make a novice dizzy. <br /><br />SusanSusan Montgomeryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194055286314636481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2274987097756433491.post-72865768234391904692011-03-18T15:15:52.590-05:002011-03-18T15:15:52.590-05:00Great post, Susan! My voice is a bit different acc...Great post, Susan! My voice is a bit different according to what I'm writing. I don't know if that's good or not. At least I <i>think</i> my devotions can be told apart from my WIP. : )Zan Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00166450116524323462noreply@blogger.com