THE WRITER’S VOICE
Sometimes critics speak of the writer’s voice. But what do you suppose they mean? I think it’s a goal to be achieved on a very long road. It’s that uniquely personal “way” you have of expressing yourself to the world in word and thought-the sum total of yourself as a human being. You might say it’s the Holy Grail of writing.
But how and when do you find your voice? I remember when one of my sons was in grade eight, his English teacher complained to me that he had not yet found his own writing voice. Astonished, I said, “He’s only twelve. Writers spend their lives seeking that voice and then perfecting it!”
Before you find that Grail, I think there are many steps and stops along the way.
I remember attending a writing class when I was not very far into writing a first draft of Conduct in Question, the first novel in what eventually became The Osgoode Trilogy. I was truly amazed to hear the teacher say that he usually revised his work twelve times-on average. My God! I thought. You mean three times won’t cut it? And so, began a very long journey through countless drafts of three novels, featuring the protagonist lawyer, Harry Jenkins.
It is said that a carpenter must have proper tools and this is true of the craft of writing. And she must be skilled in the use of them after long years of practice. So what are the tools of the writer? Many of us spend hours choosing just the right computer and clearing away a quiet space of our own to write. Certainly, we need pens and paper and lots of good light. Oh, and an ergonomic chair. Fine, so far as it goes.
But what else is needed? What are the real tools of the writer? Dare I say, that a strong, fundamental grasp and passionate love of the language, a broad vocabulary and a sense of grammar are necessary? That doesn’t mean a writer must be able to cite a rule for every sentence she writes, but she must have such a fine grasp of her tools so that their proper use is automatic. After all, they are only tools with which to express one’s view of the mystery of life and they should not get in the way of the flow of thought.
I’ve seen writing in its most formative stages, where the lack of knowledge of sentence structure is appallingly absent. [My children have referred to me as a member of "the grammar police."] Surely, mastery of these essentials must be the very first step on the journey, before one can even begin to explore and express one’s thoughts and passions—much less find one’s voice..
But even this takes us only so far. We have to develop a sense of so many things; namely, plot sequencing, character development, and dialogue, just to mention a few. On top of this, we need an idea or many ideas. We need inspiration, plus an attitude of flexibility, curiosity and risk-taking, which permit abandoning a line or direction and picking up a new thread.
I have often been asked if I write on a scheduled basis-so many hours in the morning etc. The answer is NO. I only sit down to write when I feel I have something to say. For me, I do a lot of “writing” in my head. Consequently, when I do sit down to write, I rarely suffer writer’s block. Perhaps that sort of block is really to prevent us from running “on empty” when we have nothing to say. Sometimes, you have to sit back and let the well fill up again.
I’ve also been asked if I make a plan or outline of the novel before writing it. I’m amazed that anyone could do that! For me, it’s a process of growing the characters and the events over time. I do, however, make a chart of where I’ve been so I don’t forget.
These are just a few items I’ve found along the path to finding the writer’s voice. But here’s one thing I do try out with each passage. I read it out loud to myself. Why? If you read your work aloud-just to yourself-then something quite magical happens. Your inner ear comes alive.
Remember humankind has told stories long before anyone could write. The first story-telling was undoubtedly around the campfire. I find when I read aloud then all the bumps and awkwardness jump out and scream at me. I might have read [with my eyes] a certain passage fifty times over and would not have picked up what the voice registers instantly on the ear.
Don’t forget, language was first in the spoken form and there is something within us which hears the false or awkward. If you do this with all your writing, you will quickly become aware of any clumsy wording. Eventually, you will sense the cadence and the rhythm of your prose. And that, for me, is a big part of the writer’s voice. And, by the way, I did read this aloud. Hope it sounds okay.
The Trilogy of Remembrance is now complete [The Drawing Lesson, The Fate of Pryde and Night Crossing]. But it seems I’m not ready to set all the characters aside[Alexander Wainwright, Peter, Rinaldo and James Helmsworth etc.] And so—I’ve been writing Prequels to the trilogy. What were Alex, Rinaldo and James doing before the trilogy began? Check out some blog-sized short stories
First Prequel http://bit.ly/1phj5Ig where you’ll meet Alex and Rinaldo twenty years ago.
Second Prequel http://bit.ly/1zt2p54 where you’ll meet Alex and the novelist, Peter Cummings
