Developing Your Authorial Voice by Ronda Hinrichsen

While helping out at the Middle School today, I heard a teacher tell the students that the secret to writing is to talk on the page. To write your story the way you'd tell it to someone. This teacher didn't go into any more details than that, but what she was really talking about was Voice.
Voice is one of a successful writer's most important skills. It is what sets him or her apart from other authors. It's part of what keeps their readers coming back for more. It's the YOU in your writing. (Remember the theme of this blog? Your Value is in your individuality?)

But how do we develop a "voice?" I have two suggestions:

First, write A LOT. A LOT. Writing A LOT, such as on this and my other blogs, has forced me to put a bit of myself and my personality into my writing, because, as the aforementioned teacher said, I'm not just writing, I'm "talking" to you. Writing A LOT has brought another benefit, too: it's freed my sometimes debilitating, inner critic. How? Because when I write A LOT, I simply don't have time to sit and think about every word or sentence. Not during the first draft, anyway. Not when each day I have high writing goals to meet.

Second, tell a story to someone. Even to yourself, if you're too shy. And tell it like you really want to entertain them (or yourself). Doing this will bring out your natural pauses, the words you use, the techniques you implement to convey your meanings. One of the storytelling opportunities that helped me in a sense "see" my voice was when I looked back on my babysitting years and remembered how I used to tell the kids a bedtime story about "Jack and the Beanstalk." It's not an unfamiliar story, but they loved it because of the way I told it. That was key to me. Knowing and recognizing what they loved about my storytelling.

So those are my two cents, er, two suggestions. Hope they help. And if you have anything else to add, don't be shy. Leave a comment.

Scene Chart

This won't be a very big post, but when I was recently reading Michelle Jefferies blog I came across this link. It looks like it would be very helpful for writers who are struggling to make sure their scenes actually "peform" as they should. Check it out. http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/2008/08/scene-charts.html

My Favorite Teacher

During a recent e-mail conversation with Candace Salima, I discovered we both have the same "favorite" writing teacher. Her name is Dorla Jenkins and she taught at Ricks College. Let me tell you, she was AMAZING! So inspiring, so wise, so encouraging. In fact, I'm still learning from some of the lessons she taught--lessons I didn't write on paper but which she carefully wrote in my heart. One of the phrase I use at the top of this blog: "Your value is in your individuality." Another was her belief in the value of what she was doing. She, herself, was a wonderful writer, loved horses as I remember, yet chose instead of a writing career to teach writing to others. From that decision she's influenced, for the better, thousands of lives. One day, as I remember it, she mentioned she went to the temple simply to prepare herself to teach our class because she knew of the power for good that was within us. How could we not have been influenced by such belief in our abilities?

Anyway, thinking back on my time in her classes has given me this idea: write a blog about her and invite my readers to share in a comment their stories about their favorite teachers. It doesn't necessarily have to be a writing teacher, just someone who's molded you into the person you are.

I can't wait to hear what you have to say!