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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

You do you

Every writer has a voice.  Not only the loveliness that comes from your vocal chords but the way in which you tell your stories.
Voice is as individual as a fingerprint and as important.
Some writers are flowy while others are staccato.  Some write lovingly while others liberally use snark.  And even when writing different genres, the underlying voice will always be there.

But a word of caution:
Don't borrow someone else's voice.
Don't grab a favorite author's book to study and dissect it to use the same cadence and word usage. Don't copy what someone else has already done.  It's not flattering.  It's cheap and easy.  You'll only be true to yourself if you write what's inside you that's been given to you.  Dressing yourself in someone else's verbal garb should never happen.

I know some writers who don't read in the genre they write when they're in the middle of a story. They don't want another voice to bleed through in their work.  I'm all for whatever it takes.

Now.

It can sometimes be incredibly frustrating when you've come across a grand idea, but it's similar to someone else's.  It's hard to find something original in this day and age, especially in the Romance genre.  But it can be done.  And even if your story is similar, it'll have YOUR voice and no one else's. That makes a world of difference.

Novel idea.  When you've come across something so brilliant that you nearly weep with joy.  No one else has written anything like it.  Ever.   Excellent.  Carry on.  Don't be intimidated by the lack of offerings like your book.  Revel in them.

Being original is hard.  It's easy to slip into a writing rut.  It's harder to rock that bitch back and forth until you get some traction.
Do it, anyway.

Always writing*

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