Guest Post by J.J. Hensley
Just Google it. Seriously.
Just type “Unique Author Voice” into a search engine and see what pops
up. Everyone seems to know how you need
to go about finding your unique author voice.
There are steps, exercises, and even templates available. We are told publishers want to find authors
who have a unique voice, but do we
really know what that means? I found
mine – but, it’s not mine.
Just type “Unique Author Voice” into a search engine and see what pops
up. Everyone seems to know how you need
to go about finding your unique author voice.
There are steps, exercises, and even templates available. We are told publishers want to find authors
who have a unique voice, but do we
really know what that means? I found
mine – but, it’s not mine.
My voice is the sum of
38 years of reading, working, talking, listening, watching television, and
observing. Is that what people mean by
finding that voice? I have no idea. But when I decided to write a novel, I knew
that if I researched how to go about it – how to outline, structure, work on
plot pacing, etc., then whatever I ended up with would not truly be mine. So, I carefully and methodically winged
it. The result was the publication of
the very first written work I had attempted.
Would this work for everyone? How
the hell would I know? I’m just a guy
who got a book published. John Grisham
is not concerned that I’m going to knock him down any best-seller lists. I’m still blindly feeling my way through the
world of being an author and it’s not uncommon for me to slam my head into a
wall. I can only pass along what I
learned during my writing anti-process.
38 years of reading, working, talking, listening, watching television, and
observing. Is that what people mean by
finding that voice? I have no idea. But when I decided to write a novel, I knew
that if I researched how to go about it – how to outline, structure, work on
plot pacing, etc., then whatever I ended up with would not truly be mine. So, I carefully and methodically winged
it. The result was the publication of
the very first written work I had attempted.
Would this work for everyone? How
the hell would I know? I’m just a guy
who got a book published. John Grisham
is not concerned that I’m going to knock him down any best-seller lists. I’m still blindly feeling my way through the
world of being an author and it’s not uncommon for me to slam my head into a
wall. I can only pass along what I
learned during my writing anti-process.
#1. I admitted my unique voice would not be
mine.
mine.
My author voice is the
sum of nearly four decades of living,
reading, working, watching television, laughing, crying, fighting, and
loving. The voice is that of Vince
Flynn, Mark Twain, my elementary school teachers, my family, my friends, my
coworkers, and my dogs (not in a Son of Sam way). The collection of all of these influences is
specific to me and only me. How could it not be unique?
sum of nearly four decades of living,
reading, working, watching television, laughing, crying, fighting, and
loving. The voice is that of Vince
Flynn, Mark Twain, my elementary school teachers, my family, my friends, my
coworkers, and my dogs (not in a Son of Sam way). The collection of all of these influences is
specific to me and only me. How could it not be unique?
#2. Outlining and note-taking are overrated.
Prior to writing my
first novel, I refused to research anything about how other authors construct
their books. After it was picked up by a
publisher, curiosity got the better of me and I looked at how some famous authors
construct stories. One article I read
stated that Stephen King outlines 50 pages before every writing a single word
of the actual book. Yuk. That sounds awful. And who is this Stephen King guy anyway? What does that guy know? Right?
first novel, I refused to research anything about how other authors construct
their books. After it was picked up by a
publisher, curiosity got the better of me and I looked at how some famous authors
construct stories. One article I read
stated that Stephen King outlines 50 pages before every writing a single word
of the actual book. Yuk. That sounds awful. And who is this Stephen King guy anyway? What does that guy know? Right?
Obviously, Stephen
King knows more about writing than I ever will.
But, I do know that if I tried to sit down and outline 50 pages before
writing a book, I’d never write a book.
For me, writing is fun and needs to stay that way. Besides, when I’m writing a book I honestly
have very little idea where the story is going until I write the very next
paragraph. I know that drives some
people crazy, but that’s my anti-process.
If people ask me what my current project is about, I have a lot of
difficulty telling them because sometimes I have no freak’n idea until I start
typing the next chapter. I’m not being
coy. I’m not keeping things close to the
vest. I really don’t know. That’s the fun part! That’s part of my author voice.
King knows more about writing than I ever will.
But, I do know that if I tried to sit down and outline 50 pages before
writing a book, I’d never write a book.
For me, writing is fun and needs to stay that way. Besides, when I’m writing a book I honestly
have very little idea where the story is going until I write the very next
paragraph. I know that drives some
people crazy, but that’s my anti-process.
If people ask me what my current project is about, I have a lot of
difficulty telling them because sometimes I have no freak’n idea until I start
typing the next chapter. I’m not being
coy. I’m not keeping things close to the
vest. I really don’t know. That’s the fun part! That’s part of my author voice.
#3. I didn’t start with a story, as much as I
did with my own voice.
did with my own voice.
What do I mean by
that? Well, I only had a general idea
what the plot for my novel RESOLVE would entail. I knew the backdrop would be a marathon and
that I would have 26.2 “Miles” in the form of chapters. That’s pretty much it. Then, I thought of a strong word that would
be a good title. Next, I came up with a
name for the protagonist. I thought up
some strong words or phrases that I liked and wanted to integrate into the
book. The result was that my author
voice was the nucleus of the novel and the plot developed around it. I didn’t think much about it at the time, and
I probably would not have proceeded this way if I had bought some “How to Write
a Novel for Dummies” book prior to starting.
Anyway, from what I understand, this method is backward compared to the
way many others write. So be it. Maybe my unique voice is also the result of a
jacked-up, backwards process that would not work for most others. Cool.
that? Well, I only had a general idea
what the plot for my novel RESOLVE would entail. I knew the backdrop would be a marathon and
that I would have 26.2 “Miles” in the form of chapters. That’s pretty much it. Then, I thought of a strong word that would
be a good title. Next, I came up with a
name for the protagonist. I thought up
some strong words or phrases that I liked and wanted to integrate into the
book. The result was that my author
voice was the nucleus of the novel and the plot developed around it. I didn’t think much about it at the time, and
I probably would not have proceeded this way if I had bought some “How to Write
a Novel for Dummies” book prior to starting.
Anyway, from what I understand, this method is backward compared to the
way many others write. So be it. Maybe my unique voice is also the result of a
jacked-up, backwards process that would not work for most others. Cool.
So, the best advice I
can give anyone who is looking to find their unique author voice is to stop
looking. You probably already have it in
you. You got it that time you got your
heart broken, won that trophy, got beat up on the playground, or celebrated
your wedding. The voice may sound a lot
like a combination of David Baldacci, John Verdon, your mother, and the loud
guy working at the coffee shop. Perhaps
you can go with your gut and not your notes or some generic template. Or… simply ignore everything I just wrote and
do what you feel is natural. That would
be a pretty cool too.
can give anyone who is looking to find their unique author voice is to stop
looking. You probably already have it in
you. You got it that time you got your
heart broken, won that trophy, got beat up on the playground, or celebrated
your wedding. The voice may sound a lot
like a combination of David Baldacci, John Verdon, your mother, and the loud
guy working at the coffee shop. Perhaps
you can go with your gut and not your notes or some generic template. Or… simply ignore everything I just wrote and
do what you feel is natural. That would
be a pretty cool too.
J.J. Hensley is the author of the
critically-acclaimed novel Resolve.
Resolve is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and many
independent bookstores. Visit the author
at:
critically-acclaimed novel Resolve.
Resolve is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and many
independent bookstores. Visit the author
at:
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting J.J.
J.J. – How right you are that writing comes best when we f ind our own ways to do it. As you say, we learn from others and from our own experiences, but in the end, what we write is our very own. Having the confidence that we can tell stories in our own way is part of accessing our own voices.
My “process” seems to be very similar to yours! I couldn’t do 50 pages of notes before getting into the story, either. I find beginning a novel hard enough without adding a task like that.
I have no idea what my author voice is. I fretted for years about it, wondering if I was going to fail in my attempts if I couldn’t work it out. In the end I stopped worrying and got on with writing. Like different interpretations and meanings read into my books, I’ll leave it up to readers to decide what they think my voice is. I’m happy to write good books.
Hi Elizabeth and JJ .. it’s essential to a story that unique voice .. as we read we know it’s real, not forced.
I like reading about how you worked through your novel .. and am certain we have to develop our own way of doing things .. it can’t be structured to come out of a box ..
.. and definitely not be like everyone else – so dull! Cheers Hilary
Thanks for posting today, J.J. And I love the point you’re making here. Our voice is an amalgam of all our life experiences and all the writers who’ve influenced us. We may not even know all the components, but we should trust that our voice is there.
Thank you all for your comments. I think my point is coming across. Perhaps we over-think the entire “unique author voice” concept and forget to simply try to tell a good story. Of course, perhaps I’m over-thinking that too. :)
We are collectively collected voices and methods. I don’t even feel authentic anymore. :)
HA! Carefully and methodically winging it… I agree with you that too much outline makes mine ‘not mine’… in fact it makes it not anybody’s. It removes the voice. I blame my day job. I’m a statistician and the ‘remove the frills’ style of science writing is too easy a fallback when something is planned. I DO have my own very unique voice though. I attribute THAT to being a goofball… for YEARS… in writing. Discussion forums, facebook, and especially blogging. There is a definite me in there.
Very interesting. I like your approach, not reading a book about writing a book. Usually, writers (and scientists and painters and composers …) who do something really new and original break the rules >:)
Cold As Heaven
That’s what makes each of us unique – I couldn’t write a book without an outline and some notes.
It took a while for me to find my voice and I think it’s better suited to non-fiction as I just channel my own professional speaking experience into the words.
I’ve never really thought about voice. I just write. And I’m sure some of the authors I’ve enjoyed influence that.
Great post! I’ve tried on a lot of different things with my writing–outlining, plotting, scene lists, winging it–and I found the best way for me to write. Experimenting is part of the fun!
Right on, Jill. Sometimes drinking scotch helps too. :)
Or wine. I like wine :-)
Congratulations on your book!
I used to fret over voice. Now I just write and don’t worry so much.
I’ve never thought of my voice…I just open my mouth and out it comes. It’s the same with opening my brain…the thoughts just comes out. When writing my voice takes on different intonations, accents, genders, ages, etc., but its still my voice. I can laugh, cry, become fascinated or disgusted, but that aspect only makes me want to listen to it more…it entertains me. Now my Job is to try and entertain others.
Maggie
Amalgam is a great word for how voice evolves. For me, voice is the author working through the character and combines the background experiences and education of both with the character’s opinions, attitudes, and convictions expressed through sentence structure and language forged by and for that character.
I can’t seem to learn much about my characters from an outline. But when I put them in conflict with other characters and hear them speak, then I get to know them.