One of the most frustrating things you'll learn early in a writing career is that not all advice is created equal, and the "just do what I would do" notion is very strong among current and aspiring authors.

There are certain things that you just won't notice about your own writing. You need a fresh set of eyes. Character voice is certainly on the list.

One story: while writing my first published novel, "Empowered: Agent," I hired my former one-on-one writing teacher, Mary Rosenblum, to be my developmental editor. She was an award winning science fiction and mystery author, as well as a talented teacher and editor. Mary gave me feedback on the novel outline. After I'd revised the draft and had run it by a team of betas, revising it again from their feedback, I sent it to her early on a Monday morning. I was my day job a couple of hours later when I got a short email from her: "We have to talk."

When you hear that from your editor, you know there's an issue. So, I called her on a break. She had begun reading my novel that morning and immediately seen that there was a problem with the voice. Mathilda Brandt, my hero, was a twenty-one year old woman from a hard background who had just been paroled from "special corrections" (prison for unlicensed super-powered individuals) and wanted a normal life. But the voice was that of an older, college educated adult and more detached. She gave me my marching orders for another revision: make Mat's first-person voice reflect who she was.

So, I spent five weeks rewriting the entire novel, going over every word, making the voice more emotional, angry at times, much more who Mat was. I turned that in and Mary thought it much better, but Mat still needed an attitude that was more pro-active. That was a quicker fix, namely rewriting a few key scenes and moments.

One of the hardest writing episodes in my life, but well worth it. All thanks to my listening to my developmental editor and friend Mary Rosenblum. Sadly, Mary passed away in 2018 but her advice is always with me.