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Developing your writer’s voice #7

Not all these exercises will work for every writer, but some might enable you to find and/or further develop your voice.

(Most of these exercises are taken from Finding Your Writer's Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction by Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall)

Keep practicing.

Voice is developed by writing, writing, writing.

Try doing a voice writing exercise each week. It only takes a few minutes, and that weekly stretching and warm-up will help your writing the rest of the week.

And not just short exercises--use your manuscript as practice ground for unleashing your raw voice. Take a scene, or a page of your manuscript. Work some of the exercises with that piece of your writing. Not only will you be developing your voice, you’ll also be working on beefing up your manuscript.

Don’t be discouraged if the exercises don’t seem to be showing dramatic results. Often a writer’s voice comes out subtly, in waves or glimpses.

Some writers’ voices are loud, others are soft and more subtle. Don’t assume you’re one or the other. Don’t fall prey to preconceived notions. Just WRITE. Be yourself.

With diligence and perseverance, your voice will come roaring out of you.

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  1. Mark GoodyearMon Nov 27, 01:22:00 PM 2006

    When I taught, I told my students something like this. But I also told them the catch. In order to "be yourself," you have to know who you are. Self-awareness is some tricky business.

    ReplyDelete

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