When I first started writing, some of the early feedback I received was that my dialogue was very good. My conversations seemed real and they did not read as one would expect. They were different.

I also heard that I did not create enough conflict to keep a story going.

In the end, (or the middle as this may be -- I hope) my strength turned out to be my voice. I have a strong storytelling voice with a bent towards humor.

Finding your own strength is writing is a good thing to know. What separates you from the pack? What makes a (INSERT NAME HERE) book? Finding your strength and working that to its fullest potential can be what makes you special in this business. Look at Nicholas Sparks. His specialty is NOT voice. He tells his story pretty straight-forwardly. But he's got that gut emotional appeal that connects him to his readers in a way that makes his books addictive.

You don't have to be the best writer in the world to find your place. There are certainly GREAT writers who can't tell a story to get through a paragraph. Look over your writing. What's your strength?

1. Voice?
2. Conflict?
3. Characters?
4. Dialogue?
5. Exciting individual scenes?
6. Plot?
7. Gut Emotional Appeal?
8. Romance Scenes?
9. Action Scenes?
10. Historical Information?
11. Setting?
12. Theme?
13. Something else?

Ask yourself where you fit in -- really work up your strengths and build where you're weak. This is not rocket science, but knowing where YOU as a writer fit into the marketplace can really help hone your proposals and get your book to its rightful audience.

Labels: advice for writers, Finding your strength as a writer, Voice

One of the most important elements that will make a book all your own is voice. But voice isn't talked about a lot because it develops naturally over the course of your writing life. Think of your favorite authors and how strong their voice is -- how they can take a perfectly boring subject and entertain.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Jane Austen

Jane has it all: humor, social commentary and an indication as to where her story is going. All in one line. That is serious voice.

So how do you find YOUR voice? Well, as I said, it develops naturally, but I wrote many a book before figuring out that my voice was in first-person. My strength is in commentary and the dialogue of humor. To pinpoint your voice, practice this way: Take your protagonist and have them write out their thoughts and views on life. It's separate from your story. This is just for practice.

Is your protagonist's viewpoint strong on setting? Emotion? Angst? Fear? Do the beats of how he/she speaks ring in your ear? Or is it something you see on paper. Look at how your sentences are structured. Are they long? Do you enjoy beautiful prose and metaphors? Are they short and choppy with many beats? This is how you develop voice. Voice takes a simple story to the next level. And no. There's no reason for the Colin Firth picture -- other than do you need a reason for Mr. Darcy, ever? I think not.

Labels: fiction, Voice, writing