Marcia Lee Laycock - Part II of Finding Your Voice

It looks like ICRS fever has deadened the comments section of this, and many other blogs. ICRS is a HUGE Christian retail extravaganza taking place in Orlando, Florida. Editors, authors, agents, store owners, publishers, distributors, and all aspects of the Christian music industry gather there each year to see what's new, what's hot, what's wonderful in Christian retail.

It's thrilling to me that, while I'm not actually participating this year, I have, for the first time, people there representing me and my books! My fantastic agent is there, as are both my publishers and editors. It's very exciting as I try to imagine what all goes on there.

Please pray for ICRS and the people there. Pray for safety in traveling and in all they do. Also, pray that God's will be done on every level of the event. It's so easy to get caught up in the fun, dazzle, and shear volume of what's out there, but the heart of these people is to glorify God though various means, and to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

And, after you finish praying, read on for the second (and final) installment of Marica Lee Laycock's guest post on Finding Your Voice. It's one of the "trickiest" aspects of writing, I think, largely because it's something that must be developed over time. Read on for more fab info on voice.


Finding Your Voice Part 2

Think of three of your favourite authors. If you picked up a book by each one with a blank cover that did not reveal their names, could you tell which book was written by which author? Chances are it would be easy, because each has a distinct way of telling a story. They use words differently, sentence length and structure will vary, and the very tone of the writing will give them away.

So how do you develop your own voice? Young writers, like young painters, often find themselves copying the voice of a master. Years ago I wrote a short piece about my daughter that still makes me chuckle when I read it because it is so obvious I was reading a lot of Walter Wangerin Jr.’s work. I can hear his ‘voice’ in the story. That’s not all bad. As a painter learns the craft by imitating the masters, so we too as writers can learn a lot by imitating the master writers. But as young painters move beyond their masters, so we must move beyond our favourite authors.

How? The answer is simple, yet difficult. It’s kind of like trying to be humble – the very act of trying can create the opposite affect. The best way to make it happen is to simply relax and write. Write in all kinds of genres and write just for fun. Write a blog. Write a letter. Try free-fall writing. And poetry – write poetry even if you don’t think you can. Write from your heart, write with the mind and soul that God has uniquely given you. Write with integrity and honesty.

Over time your voice will shine through because over time you will discover who you are as a person, as a child of God and as a writer. As you face the challenges of that discovery, be brave enough to let “you” out onto the page. It’s what your readers are looking for – your voice, your way of putting words into concrete form. The more open and vulnerable you are on the page, the stronger your voice will be.

And don’t worry. As a child matures into an adult, your work will mature with the ring of your own voice. Write. And just let it happen.

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Remember, you can visit Marcia on her website: http://www.vinemarc.com/marcialaycock.htm
She also has a book trailer for her novel One Smooth Stone on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkDhsqDkPic
Visit, leave a comment, and rate the trailer!

I love these book trailers. I think I see a future blog post about book trailers - a how to, and a who does them post.... sound good?

Okay all you non-ICRS attenders. Get your thinking caps on and share with us your experience with Voice. What's yours? How did you develop it? What's distinctive about your voice? How have you managed to make your voice stand out without drowning your characters?
This is a critical aspect of writing, and I know we can all learn from each other here. Don't be shy!

I bid you good writing.

Welcome Guest Blogger - Marcia Lee Laycock

Marcia Lee Laycock was raised on an island in Lake Huron, ran away to Alaska and then the Yukon, had a “road to Mayo” conversion in 1982, leaped by faith into Briercrest Bible College with her husband in 1985 and landed in the “promised land” of central Alberta in 1988.
She's also had the privilege of living a few miles south of the Arctic Circle (Dawson City Yukon) and a couple of degrees south of the equator (Papua New Guinea).

Marcia is the author of One Smooth stone. This book won the New Canadian Author Contest sponsored by Castle Quay Books and The Word Guild

"One Smooth Stone is a crackling good tale of crime and punishment, damnation and redemption, that is at once grimly real and deeply hopeful." (Mark Buchanan, author of The Rest of God and Hidden in Plain Sight.)

You can visit Marcia at her web site:

http://www.vinemarc.com/marcialaycock.htm

Marcia has agreed to tackle the tricky topic of voice. Many writers new to the craft have questions about voice. What is it? How do I attain a unique voice? In her two part guest blog, Marcia begins to answer these, and other questions.

Finding Your Voice Part 1

The voice coming out of the recorder did not sound like me. I wrinkled my nose. I wasn’t sure I liked the sound of it. But the interviewer laughed. “Everyone I interview says the same thing. Keep in mind, this is an electronic version of your voice. It’s not the real thing.”

That got me thinking. What is the “real thing” in terms of my “voice” as a writer? Everyone tells us we have to have one, and that it must be strong and distinctive. But how do you know when it’s good enough? How do you know if you even have one?

First of all, yes, you do have a voice. It’s an amazing thing, but each of us is unique and our work reveals that uniqueness. Just look at the work produced for a single theme in a writing contest. Even if the parameters are narrow and the guidelines restrictive, the variety that results is amazing. Each of us comes to the writing with our own experiences, our own perspectives, our own stories, and we tell them with our own distinct voices.

To some extent your voice is determined by the story. For instance, if you are a female writer using the point of view of a male protagonist, your voice will be different than if the protagonist were female. Sometimes the voice is determined by the characters you create. I wrote a story some time ago about a pastor’s wife. She was quite serious about life and the voice reflected that. As the story unfolded another character emerged who was a lot of fun – she was never on time, often disorganized and talked non-stop. Everyone loved her. Her voice was so distinct she began to take over the story.

Underlying the characters is your own voice, and this is where things get a little tricky. I’ll discuss that next time.

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What's your voice?

Chime in on the comments section of the blog!

I bid you good writing.