I'm pondering, of late, how one goes about finding one's voice, as an author. To all you still in school, that is part of your Language Arts learning. (I know it is. I have read the Curriculum documents. Heh.)
Here's a couple of good links that speak to the idea of "voice":
http://www.write4kids.com/feature3.html
http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/voice.htm
It bears thinking. The concept of "voice", as it applies to the stories that you write, is one that you learn as you go. The more you write, the more you learn about your own writing process, the more you learn what your voice feels like when it is present on the page.
I feel that many of my chapters do have elements of voice to them. They are inconsistent, though. I'm learning how to recognize this sort of thing as I go here. I do not relish the thought of a total re-write on this manuscript, but I'm thinking that some kind of process like it will be the only way that I can get all the styles to line up better.
I know that I need to find a better literary vehicle to drive the plot given that the chapters jump forward through Topaz's life, sometimes 3 or 4 years at a time. As I have it now, there's not a through line yet. The chapters are episodic.
Maybe I need to treat this as a series of short stories. Hrm... limiting, perhaps, but it is a way to address the discontinuity.
Saul is probably going to have to be the through line, then, since he's the constant in Topaz's ever-changing life. The story is about Topaz growing up, but the central character could be Saul? NO. That's too much of a change.
More research is needed here. I will finish the adjustments that I'm making right now, but these topics need to be addressed.
I have a goal now....several actually. Good. One needs goals in one's life.
Here's a couple of good links that speak to the idea of "voice":
http://www.write4kids.com/feature3.html
http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/voice.htm
It bears thinking. The concept of "voice", as it applies to the stories that you write, is one that you learn as you go. The more you write, the more you learn about your own writing process, the more you learn what your voice feels like when it is present on the page.
I feel that many of my chapters do have elements of voice to them. They are inconsistent, though. I'm learning how to recognize this sort of thing as I go here. I do not relish the thought of a total re-write on this manuscript, but I'm thinking that some kind of process like it will be the only way that I can get all the styles to line up better.
I know that I need to find a better literary vehicle to drive the plot given that the chapters jump forward through Topaz's life, sometimes 3 or 4 years at a time. As I have it now, there's not a through line yet. The chapters are episodic.
Maybe I need to treat this as a series of short stories. Hrm... limiting, perhaps, but it is a way to address the discontinuity.
Saul is probably going to have to be the through line, then, since he's the constant in Topaz's ever-changing life. The story is about Topaz growing up, but the central character could be Saul? NO. That's too much of a change.
More research is needed here. I will finish the adjustments that I'm making right now, but these topics need to be addressed.
I have a goal now....several actually. Good. One needs goals in one's life.
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