I wrote Joycean or Faulknerian pastiches when I tried to write in my own voice I overworked my sentences to the point of affectation. Nor was the quality of what I was writing even close to what I wanted it to be. I had writer’s block before I became a writer.
“If I began a short story or worked on a novel in the evening at home I drifted into trance states and couldn’t push through, couldn’t continue and finish. Not saying I’m a genius or anything, but this struck me as important when I read it, and to me it says something important about voice and integrity, and how that translates onto the page.” It’s a quote from the jazz pianist Thelonious Monk : ‘“A genius is the one most like himself.”
“I think you can apply this to any artistic endeavor, not just writing. “Even if I am the narrator, or the lead storyteller, every character has a story, every person in the room has a voice.” “A story, reported deeply and written with an authentic writer’s voice, has the power to move readers.” When I interview writers for Chip’s Writing Lessons, they often bring up the subject of voice.
How happy are you with your writing voice?
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