3 Writing Aspects You Should Never Let Anyone Mess With
by Julie Glover
Since starting to write over a decade ago, I’ve matured a lot as a writer. Not only have I learned a lot about craft and publishing (thanks, in huge part, to Writers in the Storm!), I’ve become more certain of who I am as a writer. And more willing to stand up for myself where it matters.
Younger Writer Me didn’t know as much about what mattered, and I wish I could go back and give her some advice—saving her time, frustration, and stagnation. Because, while you should sponge up all the great writing insights and wisdom available out there, there are three aspects you should never let someone mess with. They are core to your writer self, and you should remain true to them.
What are those three aspects?
Your Voice
What’s your unique voice? Writing coach Michelle Barker noted that:
We each have a voice that we write in, and it’s as individual as a fingerprint. A novel by Margaret Atwood will sound different than one by Stephen King, and while this might be related to both genre and characters, there’s an ineffable quality to each author’s voice that seeps into their work regardless of how hard they might try to keep it out.
A lot of what readers connect to is an author’s voice.
But too often, a well-meaning writing coach, editor, or critique partner suggests changing so much of your prose that, if accepted, a book would lose your voice.
Years ago, I attended a workshop by a marvelous presenter who taught me so much, but thankfully, a colleague pulled me aside at some point and said, “Great stuff here, but don’t let them mess with your voice.” (Although, to be fair, she didn’t say “mess” but rather a word that begins with f.)
I have long felt grateful for that fellow writer letting me know that it was more than okay to protect my unique author voice. I could say no at times to suggestions made by this person, who knew far more than I did about writing, because at the end of the day—I knew me.
For your writing to stand out, you have to protect your author voice. What makes your writing identifiably yours? Make sure you honor that uniqueness, for yourself and for your readers.
Your Process
How do you write books? Some people believe you should write every day, while others believe you should write when inspiration strikes. Some believe you must plot, while others suggest you write “by the seat of your pants” (plotter vs. pantser). Some tell you to vomit your first draft onto the page, while others champion editing as you go.
Meanwhile, one of the best books about writing I ever read was Process: The Writing Lives of Great Authors by Sarah Stodola. Why? Because this journalist looked at how various successful authors wrote, and it turns out that there’s no one way to write a book.
The right process is whatever works for you.
After signing with my dream agent, we were unable to sell my first book to publishers. I pitched another idea, a cozy mystery, and my agent suggested that I send her a scene-by-scene synopsis. I was resistant—because that’s not how I wrote—but after some coaxing, I decided to give it a try. The result was a great outline for a cozy mystery … and zero desire to write the book. For me, the joy of writing included discovery as I wrote!
I’m not blaming the agent. She had good intentions and wanted to make sure I could write a great book that she could sell. But I let her mess with my writing process and, in the end, lost more than a year of progress on that book.
By all means, try out different ways of writing, but once you figure out your process, stick to it. If you know what works for you, own it and protect it.
A thematic statement is what your book is about. Every book is about something. Every writer, whether they initially realize it or not, is making a point. A great way to get at theme is by asking yourself, "What’s the point?”
Theme can change from book to book, but more likely, you have a main point that threads through all or most of your books. Examples of major themes include:
Love conquers all.
You’re stronger than you think.
Everyone is redeemable.
Family is the people you choose.
You always have a choice.
You must fight for what you get.
In my case, I nearly signed with a publisher to put out my first YA contemporary novel, Sharing Hunter, but after some back and forth, I realized they saw the theme differently from how I saw it. To me, the message was about the importance of friendship and standing up for yourself, while the publisher wanted love-conquers-all to be the focus.
I walked away because I wouldn’t compromise on my theme, and I’ve never had any regrets. While someone else might believe fully in that theme, it wasn’t what I wanted to get across.
Ask yourself what the point of your book or books is? What message do you want readers to glean from what you write? And don’t depart from that goal!
Final Thought
If I thought long and hard, I might be able to come up with a fourth and fifth aspect you shouldn’t let someone mess with. But these three have long stood out to me.
Figure out who you are as an author regarding your:
Voice
Process
Theme
And then hold to that. So much else is negotiable, but if you surrender any of those, you’ll likely be unhappy with the result.
Which aspect speaks strongest to you? And is there another aspect of one’s writing self you would add to my list?
* * * * * *
About Julie
Julie Glover is an award-winning author of young adult and mystery fiction. Her contemporary YA includes Sharing Hunter, Daring Charlotte, and coming-soon, Pairing Anton, and she has written several YA paranormal stories. She has also co-authored five supernatural suspense novels and two short stories in the mythology-based Muse Island series under her pen name Jules Lynn.
Julie holds a master’s degree in counseling, has taught conference workshops and online courses, and serves as sidekick and sometimes-host for Cruising Writers, an incomparable writers’ retreat at sea. A native of Texas, she now lives in Denton with her hottie husband, her loquacious cat, and her large collection of cowgirl boots.
Top image by RgStudio & Getty Signature Images through Canva Pro
You can listen to the ever-present voice inside your head who is dictating a story to you - characters, plot, and setting - or you can listen to the voice of a person who has never had a conversation with the voice inside your head. Try the second approach, and you may end up staring at your computer screen, hoping the voice inside your head will return and share more of the story with you.
While I am not a seasoned writer - in fact, I'm rather new to the scene - I am a seasoned soul. I could not agree with you more about writers maintaining ownership of this trifecta - Voice, Process, Theme.
I would guess that, of the three, Voice may speak loudest to me, but I suppose that changes depending on how I'm listening.
Motivation is another key ingredient for me - not just personal motivation to write (which I believe may be related to theme), but also character motivation. If I'm 'chatting' with a character and I get deep inside their motivation...my voice, process and theme are all over it!
Very nice Julie! I'm an inveterate pantster! Like you, if I get too much into planning a story then I don't want to write it. Note: I also write non fiction and that works differently...
When I was a new writer, I revised a picture book according to suggestions. A few weeks later, I realized I had cut its heart out. Theme is the heart of your work. Thankfully, I was able to go back to older drafts and then move forward again.
Don't you love it when the perfect advice comes at the exact time you need it? That's exactly how I feel about this post.
Last week, I said to a writing group I belong to, "Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I didn't know anything about how I was supposed to write and just wrote."
Thanks to you, Julie, I've added a Post-it note to my desk reminders that reads, "Voice, Process, Theme."
Fantastic advice, Julie. Wish I'd known that way back when...but I learned it myself through my own lessons and process. I'm not sure there's one of the three that speaks to me louder. Maybe it depends on the story I'm writing. I've fought hard for theme and voice and process. Hmm. Now that I've said that, for me, process is the most flexible-I play with process, trying out new things. Thanks for a great post.
My pleasure, Lynette! I also wish I'd known way back when, which is a good reason to share with others: I want to save them time and frustration.
And I think it's good to be flexible with process when you're first going. You don't always know what will work until you try it. But if you know, stick to it.
When I first started out, I would let other newbie authors opinions sway my thoughts on my own writing. I quickly learned that my unique voice is a gift and not a hinderance, and it is something I should nurture.
Completely agree about voice and theme. Those concepts are why writers write: to express themselves and their worldview. They are deeply personal.
But regarding process, I'm less convinced writers have one "way."
I was a discovery writer for years, but often, my stories didn't have enough tension or conflict. They lacked a tight cause-and-effect trajectory. Changing my process to include deeper character development and outlining in advance (I prefer the term blueprinting) has been a revelation for me as a writer. I'm not abandoning stories 50-100 pages in anymore because most of the text ended up discovery instead of story. Writing 100 pages and realizing I needed to basically start over--now THAT killed my enthusiasm.
I don't storyboard shot by shot like a movie director, btw. Now, I simply map the route, beginning to end. I determine the purpose of each scene (beats, character goals-motivation-conflict) and sketch out a possible scenario in advance. That map is tentative. It's open to ongoing revision. When I actually write each scene, I drop into discovery mode again--but I (mostly) know where I'm starting, where I'm heading, and where I'm stopping. I've been really pleased with the improvement in my stories, all because I was open to trying a new process. I'm writing less backstory, fewer info dumps, and incorporating more tension-building hooks, more foreshadowing, more hints at underlying conflict, all in the first draft. I couldn't do that as a discovery writer because I hadn't "discovered" where the story was going yet. Being flexible and open to trying new ways of doing things is how I develop my writing skills. For writers like me, being open to changing our process might be the difference between finishing or not finishing a story.
Thanks for sharing all this! Great stuff. I do believe that process is the thing to play with more, because you don't know how you write best until you try different things.
In my case, I allowed the agent to talk me into something I really knew in my gut was not the way I approached any task, much less a whole novel. But I've learned a lot from hearing what others do and trying out tweaks to my process.
We were just discussing how we write at our group this morning. One chap Must have a plan laid out while I love to start writing and see what happens! I have just read his new novel and loved it so I know the method works for him, but it’s not for me.
It cracks me up a little now when I hear some bestselling author say something like "the only way to write a great novel is to just start writing and see what happens" while another bestselling author says, "the only way to write a great novel is to plan it out in advance." And I'm thinking, "Y'all know you both write great novels, right?"
There's not one way! I love that your group talked about that and honored the differences. Thanks, Janet.
Great post. As newbies, it's easy to get overwhelmed with well-meaning "how-to write" advice. And newer critique partners and content judges will often make you doubt your voice. I don't always think about theme -it's just there. You made me realize how important the theme of my political thriller WIP is. THANKS for sharing.
Thanks, Tracy! And knowing my theme has helped me when I feel like I'm getting off track. I'll ask myself, "What is the point of this story?" and nudge myself back to the core of my story. Good luck with your political thriller. (Exciting!)
I'm a disabled, chronically ill author. If I let people tell me what to do, they will overwhelm my limited coping bandwidth.
So I don't. (Also, it failed miserably when I tried asking for help.)
It's all me. A very aware me, holding every word up to the standards of the classics I immersed myself in as a kid, parsimonious with everything.
But it means that ONLY I get to critique what I write, and, while it stuff me up for a while sometimes, the solutions are also ONLY mine.
And I like the results, the two published big fat volumes of the Pride's Children trilogy, PURGATORY and NETHERWORLD.
LIMBO is being recalcitrant, but I'm used to that.
I read blogs for ideas - I got one this morning: I'm going to grill the pov character of this scene until I find out why she's so afraid of opening her mouth.
Clearly I loved your replies throughout this comment section! LOL.
I am a fan of experimenting until you can regularly produce work you're proud of. That's the long and short of it for me. Whatever allows you to do that is aces with me.
Good article. I'd say I'm only about nine years into my real writer's journey (decades of imposters syndrome). However, these three things mirror what I've seen, heard, and accepted.
My voice is my voice, although it has improved over the years as I written, read, and learned more. I've read about all the processes you mentioned, and found a comfortable mix that serves most of my projects. And as to theme, I agree–theme finds you, then you couldn't shake it if you tried.
I might add goals to your list, as in "know your goal." You can write what you want to read, which pretty much I do. Just get your very best at it. And if you get to that point where you can do your level best, then you can consider if you'd like to pursue commercial titles and success. You can work toward more than one goal.
I love that add: goal. We don't have the same goals, and it's good to know your own and measure yourself against those and no one else. Thanks, Jerold.
These are 3 significant writer aspects and I agree the writer should really understand when to cut off the advice or pressure in changing any. I've also heard of publishers requesting to change the characters' sex, or changing the POV of the book like from first to third or vice-versa. Or making other major changes when they start the negotiation of publishing. In those cases, I think the author should submit to multiple publishing firms to get additional feedback rather than just accepting the request and rewriting. I'm not saying the publishers were wrong, but those seem like such drastic changes that the author may toss a novel due to negative influences.
I've had a critique group and a publisher ask me to start at a different point in the first chapter, which may improve the hook. Or I've been asked to change the ending to improve the hook for the next book in the series. I've rewritten the scenes three or four times and eventually found it did make a difference. But again, the writer should make this call, not the publisher.
So Voice, Process, and Theme are outstanding, but I would add character identity/character ARC and POV.
Great post, Julie. The first editor I worked with changed almost every sentence I wrote, and told me the semicolon was "exotic punctuation". But one of the most frequent comments I get from readers is "your style is smooth & lyrical at the same time." So glad I stood my ground!
As for my process, I call myself a "plantser". I start out with beginning & ending scenes, plus a few more to get me where I'm going. It's too loose to be an outline, and sometimes I wind up where I didn't expect to. But I always do an outline when I finish the first draft, to make sure there are no timeline issues or unresolved subplots. For me, it's the best of both worlds.
Too true, Julie. More seasoned writers know to hold those close to their hearts, but newbies can be easily swayed.
Fight like a cornererd grizzly!
But - don't be afraid to try something new - you may find another tool to put in your box.
And outline? *shudders*
Exactly! Be willing to try something new, but don't get pressured into doing something that does not work for you.
You can listen to the ever-present voice inside your head who is dictating a story to you - characters, plot, and setting - or you can listen to the voice of a person who has never had a conversation with the voice inside your head. Try the second approach, and you may end up staring at your computer screen, hoping the voice inside your head will return and share more of the story with you.
Love how you put this! You know your story and characters best.
While I am not a seasoned writer - in fact, I'm rather new to the scene - I am a seasoned soul. I could not agree with you more about writers maintaining ownership of this trifecta - Voice, Process, Theme.
I would guess that, of the three, Voice may speak loudest to me, but I suppose that changes depending on how I'm listening.
Motivation is another key ingredient for me - not just personal motivation to write (which I believe may be related to theme), but also character motivation. If I'm 'chatting' with a character and I get deep inside their motivation...my voice, process and theme are all over it!
Thanks, Julie, for a great blog post!
Ooh, good addition! We're not all motivated by the same stuff. It's good to know and protect your own motivation. Thanks, Jennifer!
Very nice Julie! I'm an inveterate pantster! Like you, if I get too much into planning a story then I don't want to write it. Note: I also write non fiction and that works differently...
I hear you! Definitely protect your process. Thanks, Matthew.
When I was a new writer, I revised a picture book according to suggestions. A few weeks later, I realized I had cut its heart out. Theme is the heart of your work. Thankfully, I was able to go back to older drafts and then move forward again.
Oh, that made me sad—a story with its heart cut out. I'm glad you staged an intervention, Debbie, and brought it back to life!
Don't you love it when the perfect advice comes at the exact time you need it? That's exactly how I feel about this post.
Last week, I said to a writing group I belong to, "Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I didn't know anything about how I was supposed to write and just wrote."
Thanks to you, Julie, I've added a Post-it note to my desk reminders that reads, "Voice, Process, Theme."
Wow, Valerie, I love that perfectly timed aha moments. Especially ones that remind you of what you know in your gut to be true. Keep doing you!
This is a lovely comment to read, Valerie!
Fantastic advice, Julie. Wish I'd known that way back when...but I learned it myself through my own lessons and process. I'm not sure there's one of the three that speaks to me louder. Maybe it depends on the story I'm writing. I've fought hard for theme and voice and process. Hmm. Now that I've said that, for me, process is the most flexible-I play with process, trying out new things. Thanks for a great post.
My pleasure, Lynette! I also wish I'd known way back when, which is a good reason to share with others: I want to save them time and frustration.
And I think it's good to be flexible with process when you're first going. You don't always know what will work until you try it. But if you know, stick to it.
When I first started out, I would let other newbie authors opinions sway my thoughts on my own writing. I quickly learned that my unique voice is a gift and not a hinderance, and it is something I should nurture.
I love your voice, Jenn, so YES, nurture and hold onto that. 😊
What Julie said!
Completely agree about voice and theme. Those concepts are why writers write: to express themselves and their worldview. They are deeply personal.
But regarding process, I'm less convinced writers have one "way."
I was a discovery writer for years, but often, my stories didn't have enough tension or conflict. They lacked a tight cause-and-effect trajectory. Changing my process to include deeper character development and outlining in advance (I prefer the term blueprinting) has been a revelation for me as a writer. I'm not abandoning stories 50-100 pages in anymore because most of the text ended up discovery instead of story. Writing 100 pages and realizing I needed to basically start over--now THAT killed my enthusiasm.
I don't storyboard shot by shot like a movie director, btw. Now, I simply map the route, beginning to end. I determine the purpose of each scene (beats, character goals-motivation-conflict) and sketch out a possible scenario in advance. That map is tentative. It's open to ongoing revision. When I actually write each scene, I drop into discovery mode again--but I (mostly) know where I'm starting, where I'm heading, and where I'm stopping. I've been really pleased with the improvement in my stories, all because I was open to trying a new process. I'm writing less backstory, fewer info dumps, and incorporating more tension-building hooks, more foreshadowing, more hints at underlying conflict, all in the first draft. I couldn't do that as a discovery writer because I hadn't "discovered" where the story was going yet. Being flexible and open to trying new ways of doing things is how I develop my writing skills. For writers like me, being open to changing our process might be the difference between finishing or not finishing a story.
Thanks for sharing all this! Great stuff. I do believe that process is the thing to play with more, because you don't know how you write best until you try different things.
In my case, I allowed the agent to talk me into something I really knew in my gut was not the way I approached any task, much less a whole novel. But I've learned a lot from hearing what others do and trying out tweaks to my process.
Glad you found what works for you, Selene!
We were just discussing how we write at our group this morning. One chap Must have a plan laid out while I love to start writing and see what happens! I have just read his new novel and loved it so I know the method works for him, but it’s not for me.
It cracks me up a little now when I hear some bestselling author say something like "the only way to write a great novel is to just start writing and see what happens" while another bestselling author says, "the only way to write a great novel is to plan it out in advance." And I'm thinking, "Y'all know you both write great novels, right?"
There's not one way! I love that your group talked about that and honored the differences. Thanks, Janet.
What Julie said!
Great post. As newbies, it's easy to get overwhelmed with well-meaning "how-to write" advice. And newer critique partners and content judges will often make you doubt your voice. I don't always think about theme -it's just there. You made me realize how important the theme of my political thriller WIP is. THANKS for sharing.
Thanks, Tracy! And knowing my theme has helped me when I feel like I'm getting off track. I'll ask myself, "What is the point of this story?" and nudge myself back to the core of my story. Good luck with your political thriller. (Exciting!)
Good summary!
I'm a disabled, chronically ill author. If I let people tell me what to do, they will overwhelm my limited coping bandwidth.
So I don't. (Also, it failed miserably when I tried asking for help.)
It's all me. A very aware me, holding every word up to the standards of the classics I immersed myself in as a kid, parsimonious with everything.
But it means that ONLY I get to critique what I write, and, while it stuff me up for a while sometimes, the solutions are also ONLY mine.
And I like the results, the two published big fat volumes of the Pride's Children trilogy, PURGATORY and NETHERWORLD.
LIMBO is being recalcitrant, but I'm used to that.
I read blogs for ideas - I got one this morning: I'm going to grill the pov character of this scene until I find out why she's so afraid of opening her mouth.
I'm amazed by disabled authors who keep going despite the obstacles. You're an inspiration! Keep going. 👏👏👏
Clearly I loved your replies throughout this comment section! LOL.
I am a fan of experimenting until you can regularly produce work you're proud of. That's the long and short of it for me. Whatever allows you to do that is aces with me.
Aces indeed! Thanks, Jenny.
I love this, Julie! And I've seen people try to change all 3 when working with writers and it just makes smoke come out of my nostrils when I see it.
It's so frustrating, right? Because at this point, we know it's likely to end badly. Let's save some folks from that! Thanks, Lisa.
Julie,
Good article. I'd say I'm only about nine years into my real writer's journey (decades of imposters syndrome). However, these three things mirror what I've seen, heard, and accepted.
My voice is my voice, although it has improved over the years as I written, read, and learned more. I've read about all the processes you mentioned, and found a comfortable mix that serves most of my projects. And as to theme, I agree–theme finds you, then you couldn't shake it if you tried.
I might add goals to your list, as in "know your goal." You can write what you want to read, which pretty much I do. Just get your very best at it. And if you get to that point where you can do your level best, then you can consider if you'd like to pursue commercial titles and success. You can work toward more than one goal.
I love that add: goal. We don't have the same goals, and it's good to know your own and measure yourself against those and no one else. Thanks, Jerold.
fantastic advice
Thanks, Denise!
This is such sage advice, Julie! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by!
These are 3 significant writer aspects and I agree the writer should really understand when to cut off the advice or pressure in changing any. I've also heard of publishers requesting to change the characters' sex, or changing the POV of the book like from first to third or vice-versa. Or making other major changes when they start the negotiation of publishing. In those cases, I think the author should submit to multiple publishing firms to get additional feedback rather than just accepting the request and rewriting. I'm not saying the publishers were wrong, but those seem like such drastic changes that the author may toss a novel due to negative influences.
I've had a critique group and a publisher ask me to start at a different point in the first chapter, which may improve the hook. Or I've been asked to change the ending to improve the hook for the next book in the series. I've rewritten the scenes three or four times and eventually found it did make a difference. But again, the writer should make this call, not the publisher.
So Voice, Process, and Theme are outstanding, but I would add character identity/character ARC and POV.
Great post, Julie. The first editor I worked with changed almost every sentence I wrote, and told me the semicolon was "exotic punctuation". But one of the most frequent comments I get from readers is "your style is smooth & lyrical at the same time." So glad I stood my ground!
As for my process, I call myself a "plantser". I start out with beginning & ending scenes, plus a few more to get me where I'm going. It's too loose to be an outline, and sometimes I wind up where I didn't expect to. But I always do an outline when I finish the first draft, to make sure there are no timeline issues or unresolved subplots. For me, it's the best of both worlds.