Writers in the Storm

Julie Glover

When I first began writing novels, I longed to pen my prose like the literary greats I’d read in high school and college. Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, Edgar Allen Poe, Leo Tolstoy, etc. were my beacons of beautiful prose.

But alas, their light flickered on me. Because I couldn’t seem to get two pages in without snark coming out on the page. So much for my lofty plans.

I’m not the only one who wanted or expected a different writing voice.

Too often, we struggle to be the kind of writer we wish we were. We imagine ourselves as the next J.K. Rowling, when world-building isn’t our superpower. We want to write funny books, when we’re at our best telling tissue-soaking tear-jerkers. We try to write juvenile fiction, but our stories sound like they were by a 35-year-old parent—and what kid wants to read that?

Hey, I get the frustration. I was kind of pissed off to find that I wouldn’t be digging deep like Dostoyevsky or rendering romance like a Brontë.  But when you fully embrace your natural writing voice, you grow to love it and the writing flows much more easily.

I’m not saying it’s always easy. Even when you’ve embraced your writing voice, it’s real effort to turn out a book. Not to mention a great book, a book that more people than your mother and that reclusive aunt with the seven cats want to read.

But you might be working harder than you need to by avoiding the kind of writer you really are.

Here are five quick tips for discovering your natural writing voice—and embracing it:

1. Try different genres. Don’t try everything, of course, but choose genres you’ve enjoyed and see how well and easily you can write a few scenes or even a whole manuscript in that voice.

Many writers try several genres before finding one that really fits. Give yourself time and space to discover who you are on the page.

2. Pay attention to your stress levels. If you’re extra uptight about turning out that next scene and always dealing with high stress in your writing, it might not be the writing at all but trying to be something you’re not.

Own your feelings and ask tough questions about where your stress is coming from. Is it just the deadline? The usual challenge of writing? Or are you trying to work outside your natural voice?

3. Listen to trusted colleagues and friends. Let others read what you’ve written and invite honest feedback. Ask, “Does this sound like my natural voice? Do you have an idea of what might be a better voice?” You don’t have to take their advice, but if several trusted colleagues and friends converge on a suggestion, it’s worth considering.

Very recently, I had my critique partner recommend a new genre for me to try. I balked at first, but when I ran the idea past several colleagues and friends who know me well, they all said something like, “That totally sounds like you.” Thank goodness, because I’ve just started a new, and very exciting, project in the new genre.

4. Get over unrealistic expectations. You wanted to be the next Janet Evanovich, but your stories come across more like John Grisham. You wanted to be the next George R.R. Martin, but your voice sounds more like Judy Blume. Get over it.

Plenty of authors started writing in one genre, then found their voice—and their success—in another. Throw a short pity party if you must, but then dwell on all the great stuff about being exactly the excellent writer you are.

5. Recognize that you can adapt as your voice changes. Just because you write dark now doesn’t mean you’ll write dark forever. Or that funny authors must always be funny. We change and grow in life. Circumstances shape us. Our interests evolve.

You only have to commit to writing in the voice you have right now. That could change in the future, and knowing that may free you up to embrace your writing voice in the present.

Are you trying to be someone you’re not? Didn’t we all learn the folly of that back in junior high?

Writing is hard enough, so I encourage you to embrace your natural writing voice. Find out what it is, and then run with it. Like you’re running with scissors! It’s an adventure to write with your natural voice. So many possibilities will come to light. And your audience will benefit from reading what you uniquely offer on the page.

Do you feel like you've found your natural voice? If so, what helped you get there? What helps you keep it going strong?

*  *  *  *  *  *

About Julie

Julie Glover writes young adult—and possibly humorous mystery—fiction, collects boots, practices rampant sarcasm, and advocates for the interrobang. Her YA contemporary novel, SHARING HUNTER, finaled in the 2015 RWA® Golden Heart®. She teaches courses on YA characters and grammar and is represented by Louise Fury of The Bent Agency.

"I love you" are pretty powerful words to say—and to hear. But there are usually a lot of words before your characters hear those words, and maybe even more words before they believe them. There are plenty of things our characters can do, actions they can take, to build the emotional level for their love interest to really hear and accept those words and feelings. The cool thing is, you can think of more by thinking about how—and why—you've fallen in love, because every one of these suggestions "works" in real life, too. That's why your readers will connect with them, and why they will fall in love with your characters.

1. Random surprises improve mood and relationship satisfaction. The surprises don't have to be costly or labor-intensive. Let me give you a real-life example. When I started having to travel for my job, I bought special "cute" post-it notes. One had a dotted line down the middle with "good gnus" (they had halos) on the left and "bad gnus" (they had horns and pitch forks) on the right. The title was "Good gnus and Bad gnus." Under the good news side I wrote "I love you" and under the bad news I wrote "I'm not here." I stuck it on the mirror my husband used every morning to shave. He didn't usually call the first couple of days I was away, but he called that night to say, "Somebody put a sappy note on my mirror." I asked him how he liked it. "I had to pull it off so I could shave." Yes, a real romantic. In the future I put notes in his underwear drawer, in the freezer, tucked inside a book he was reading, just to bug him. Years later, he'd asked me to look for something important in his filing cabinet, and in an unlabeled folder was every single note I'd written him.
2. Expressing concern for someone's safety promotes solid friendships and encourages healthy behavior. It

   

   also boosts self esteem and fights depression. One more from-Fae's-life example. My husband's got a thing for clean, well-maintained cars. I found this out soon after we got married. He came into the house after he'd washed his car and told me I needed to wash my car. I told him it was fine. After a few, okay more than a few, heated exchanges he stamped outside saying it was dangerous to drive with a windshield so dirty (it wasn't that bad), and he washed my car. When I complained that I needed to remember to stop and get gasoline or I may not make it to work the next morning, I'd get in the car and the tank (that I'd forgotten about) was full. [I hear you sighing ahhhh, but trust me, he is not a romantic.]
3. Remember the details of something important to the other character. Since we only remember seventeen to twenty-five percent of what we hear, paying attention to the details of what our partner is concerned about is important. Dialogue can be initiated, whether it is to commiserate or problem solve. But there can be no back and forth if your character doesn't know the important details. Questions can pull out other, perhaps secret, facts or emotions or backstory to make this suggestion do double-duty for your writing. The act of listening is powerful. In real life and for our characters.
4. Really caring about your day. Now this may sound mundane. Of course you're going to show your characters

   

   caring about what happened to each other. But did you know that this particular type of show-of-caring is ninety-three percent non-verbal communication? This is not the lip-service, "Oh, honey, that's too bad." This is the "knowing look," however you've detailed that look for your character, the light touch on the arm, or the long, silent bear hug. It's the stretch out on the sofa and put your feet in my lap foot massage. Or the slow walk to the wine storage and pouring a glass of their favorite before any verbal response. It's exactly what you would want someone who loves you to do for you.
5. Hand-written love letters. This is different from my post-it notes above. This is a full out, (maybe) carefully constructed letter proclaiming an undying love. It lists the hows and why of falling in love. It professes forever and that HEA. Maybe it was written but never intended to be discovered and read, and that discovery can make it a turning point in your story. It could be on the back or inside of a purchased greeting card. Its impact can be profound when the character who writes it has not verbally professed love before this point, and probably hasn't physically shown such softness to the other character. 
6. Totally relaxing physical affection increases trust and stronger bonds. Yes, this one has big immediate

   

   payoffs for both characters. Hand holding for the first time, particularly if the walking is a little slippery, indicates a caring desire to protect. Rubbing the back of the neck requires trust and tenderness. From a hand or foot massage, to massaging the shoulders and back… well, you get the idea. Physical interaction that takes the everyday tension down to a relaxed sigh is the goal here.
7. Making your character feel included because they are important. Remember the first time you met the parents? It went well if your beloved included you in the conversation. Better if there was physical contact between the two of you, either seen or unseen by the others in the room. We've all been in situations where we went somewhere and wondered why we needed to be there because no one made an effort to interact with us. To someone who loves you, you are the center of the event and, even if your interaction is mainly with the one who brought you, you'll have a positive experience. How do you make someone feel included? You introduce them to the others, show them the important places: the restroom, the exit to the patio, the bar, the food, the people they'd most likely get along with. And you don't abandon them afterwards. Hovering isn't necessary, but visible checks are mandatory as are occasional personal check-ins to assure their well-being. If one character  is the type of person who will slink to a forgotten corner, the other character will stay with them and move about the room as their escort.
8. Checking in to be certain of the other's well-being, mental health and status. Friends do this; lover's should, too. It begins as a courtesy, but when you love someone, you care about how they are doing. Communicating with them on a regular basis shows that love and also deepens the connection between two people. In historical fiction, it can be accomplished by a daily ride to the other person's home. In a contemporary, a text works, but other ways to check-in are needed to show a commitment to the relationship. A phone call or a quick meeting, even a surprise visit, all show a desire to be involved in the well-being of the other person. 

What other ways do your characters show their love?

ABOUT FAE

Fae Rowen discovered the romance genre after years as a science fiction freak.   Writing futuristics and medieval paranormals, she jokes  that she can live anywhere but the present.  As a mathematician, she knows life’s a lot more fun when you get to define your world and its rules.

Punished, oh-no, that’s published as a co-author of a math textbook, she yearns to hear personal stories about finding love from those who read her books, rather than the horrors of calculus lessons gone wrong.  She is grateful for good friends who remind her to do the practical things in life like grocery shop, show up at the airport for a flight and pay bills.

A “hard” scientist who avoided writing classes like the plague, she now shares her brain with characters who demand that their stories be told.  Amazing, gifted critique partners keep her on the straight and narrow. Feedback from readers keeps her fingers on the keyboard.

When she’s not hanging out at Writers in the Storm, you can visit Fae at http://faerowen.com  or www.facebook.com/fae.rowen.

My debut launches tomorrow. TOMORROW!!! ‘Scuse me a sec while I breathe into this paper bag.

Okay, I’m back. I’m better. I’ve got this.

I’m ready for launch day … I’ve written the guest posts, I’ve sent out the giveaway copies, I’ve updated my website. What I’m not ready for, though, is the congratulations. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Over the last few months, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of friends who’ve asked about the book, congratulated me, and wanted to hear how excited I am.

I am excited. I am, really. And I’m not.

Before you write me off as a total nut, hear me out … When I worked in the corporate world, every project was part of the job. It was always satisfying to see the final ad or brochure but they were drops in the bucket (I know, cliché). I’d take out a copy, leaf through it (okay, okay, I’d also smell it), then file it and move on to the next project. No one asked if I was excited and no one congratulated me.

Writing a brochure is nothing like writing a novel. Brochures don’t take years to write, revise, and publish. They’re not products of your heart and imagination. So no, I’m not comparing them that way.

But here’s where I find myself struggling – writing is my job. And as such, I’m expected to write that book just like I was expected to write the brochure.

I’m torn between the me that’s hugging this pretty hardcover book with my name on it and wanting to show it to everyone I see, and the me that gave the book a hug and a sniff, leafed through it, and put it on the shelf.

I’m torn between wanting to take the time to enjoy the moment, the feeling of this accomplishment, and the need to put it behind me and focus on the next deadlines.

Author friends keep reminding me to enjoy this time, that debuts only happen once. I know they’re right. But I also don’t quite know how to do that. Granted, I’ve never been one who was comfortable in the spotlight. I’m much happier as the behind-the-scenes-get-it-done type. That’s part of my problem now – either way you slice it, I am in the spotlight as the author. My job as a writer isn’t just to write the book. And that means I have to not only be proud of my hardcover accomplishment, I have to be proud of the soft me.

So here I am, the day before my book comes out. Part of me is relieved that the anticipation is almost over. Tomorrow it will belong to readers. The focus will shift from the excitement of a new release to the anxiety over sales.

But today, it’s still mine. And after a strict talking-to with myself, I’ve decided that today will be a no-guilt day. Today, I’m not going to worry about what’s next. Today, I’m going to sit on the couch with my book and allow myself to be proud of my accomplishment.

(Anyone want to put bets on how long I can do that?) :-)

We always finish WITS posts with a question, something to generate discussion. I’m not sure what to ask you guys. Instead, I’d like to issue a challenge for anyone else who, like me, has a hard time looking people in the eye when they congratulate you … go to the closest mirror (this works better if you’re not in a public place – trust me!) and congratulate yourself. Whether it’s for a new release or sending out a query or finishing the first draft, those are huge milestones.

Oh wait, I do know what to ask. :-)

What are you proud of yourself for today? 

 *     *     *     *

About Orly

Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world, where she spent roughly sixteen (cough) years working in the space industry. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking entirely too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around two over-fed cats. She is a co-founder and past president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and a member of the Tall Poppy Writers. She is rep’d by Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency LLC.

Orly’s debut, The Distance Home, will be released by Forge on May 2, 2017.

You can find her on on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, or on her website, www.orlykonig.com.