Writing Up a Storm

A storm moves in at our favorite vacation spot… Dauphin Island, Alabama

Over the weekend I reviewed my work-in-progress, and I revamped a character that seemed to have become a bit of a bore.

He’s still a bore—just a more colorful, multi-faceted bore. He doesn’t realize it. It’s part of who he is.

As the story progresses, this fellow does grow and develop beyond what I’ve let the reader initially see.  And though he’s not the lead character in the story, this gentleman certainly plays an important part of a very dynamic triangle.

My current WIP is the second novel in a series I’m creating. It’s chock-full of small town folks who love God and country and each other. Of course there’s conflict, tension, and drama because, as you know, it would be a pretty boring read without those elements. There’s also humor, romance, and slice-of-life goodies to round it out, as well.

Many years ago when I started to write, I was concerned about my writing style.

I didn’t seem to fit what I perceived to be the “right” mold for a writer. I worried that, perhaps, my idea of storytelling was too simplistic, too down-to-earth. Too much like me.

I tried writing differently for a while.

It was unnatural and extremely limiting.

Why? 

Because it wasn’t my voice, not to mention my style. I felt like a big, square peg trying desperately to squeeze into a small, round hole—kinda like when I realized that no matter how much I scrunched my toes, I was never going to be comfortable wearing size six shoes on my size seven-and-a-half feet.

Sometimes it takes a blister or two for us to come to our senses.

I’ve learned to concentrate on writing the story and not worry so much about how I write it.  My words don’t have to be fancy, flowery, or pretentious. They just have to move people. I’ve   heard authors say this before, but it really is true.

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A question for you to ponder…

How do you know when you’re writing in your voice and not someone else’s?

Blessings Always,