Words Are the Voice of the Heart (Confucius)

 One of my all-time favorite authors is Mark Twain. He speaks a language I recognize, relish and actually "feel" in my soul. I grew up on the river, and still live near a river as an adult. So when he says something like this:

"The face of the river, in time, became a wonderful book . . . which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it had uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day."
Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

...I hear it with my whole heart, as if it were my own heartbeat.  There are some authors who do that for me.



I'm often asked about "voice." When I'm working for an agent or editor, they will ask me about the author's voice. It is an elusive thing. How do you define voice? Sometimes that voice really stands out, but sometimes the author hasn't really discovered his voice. Recently, a fellow reader/critiquer and I both recognized when a crit partner hit upon her "voice." It was exciting for all of us! She still is hesitant, but I think she is beginning to hear it, too. She has written a lot in order to find that place.

One of the main reasons I started my own blog was to rediscover my own voice. I lost it each time I would have to go undercover into someone else's manuscript, because we all know a good critic does not change the voice of that author. One of my favorite books about voice is Ft. Wayne native/author Les Edgerton's book, Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing.(Writer's Digest Books.) If you are struggling with your voice, do get this book. I like it when he slams "da rules" right off the bat. At the end of each chapter he has exercises designed to help you get into your own voice (instead of mimicking someone else's voice.)


But maybe lately you've been saying, "I'm Nobody here with barely a voice squeaking through the rich, full sopranos,tenors, basses, rock stars." (Maybe that's my voice saying this.) On my desk is a piece of rose marble with these words etched on the surface: "Words are the voice of the heart." Confucius said this, though I don’t follow him, he did have some interesting things to say and had a strong voice. This quote speaks to the passions that are in our hearts. As Christians we're often told to follow the voice of our master, Jesus. The sheep follow the voice of the shepherd. Samuel didn't know that it was the voice of God, not Eli, who called him in the night, but Eli helped him to recognize His Voice.

But what is that voice in your heart? Whatever you find buried in your heart eventually will come out passionately as words. So,words, which come from your heart, are part of your voice. To find your voice is to find what's in your heart, your very lifeblood. Figure this out first. What hits your hot buttons? I have to listen quietly to hear the voice I have. I also listen what others say about my voice.


Here are some tips to get your ears on (this is old CB radio talk--"Ya got your ears on?")

1. Listen. Listen by reading. A lot. Read in the genre you wish to speak. Read books which "sound" like you want to sound like.

2. Write. A lot. Let people hear your voice, and if they like your voice, take note. Get your crit partners to point out to you each time they think your voice is coming through the story. Mark it in RED.

3. Listen to your heart as you write. If it says "thump, thud, swish-swish" then you might want to see a book doctor-type or mentor, and get your heart healthy. Get someone who is good at helping you with the writing without touching your voice. It's a fine art. You have to be careful with this one because I've seen crit partners flush the voice right out of a piece, or worse, put their own voice into a piece. Sometimes you have to listen the small, still voice which is telling you, "don't listen to this person, no matter how well-intentioned they are." (Just saying. )But if someone is really good at it, DO listen to what that person is saying about the writing. Phew. Tough call.

4. Get voice lessons and practice because eventually the voice and heart join together. Go to conferences, workshops, get together with fellow writers read your work out loud. Doc Hensley used to make us get into a circle and then read a piece out loud. Then the rest would make comments. Diann Hunt used to HATE this exercise, but it was so great to hear the voice of others. That is where I first heard Diann's great voice in writing.

5. Read your stuff to your dog or cat or horse. Your dog (or cat or horse) loves your voice no matter what you say. While you're listening for how you tell your story, you might just start recognizing your own heart-voice.

6. Let God hear your voice each time you begin a writing session. He knows what your voice is and will help you find the way to speaking out.

Write your heart...

Do you have insights on voice?
Do you have questions about your voice?
Whose voice (an author) do you feel is close to your voice?
Which author would you WANT to have a voice like? 

(Anyone have a clue as to which author my writing sounds like??? What genre could you hear me speaking in? LOL.)

~Crystal Laine Miller

THE JOY OF EDITING
I admit it. I'm a little crazy about edits. No, not in a bad way. I don't cry and throw things when they come. I dance around the room with excitement. I know, I know. I should have my head examined. LOL But it's all a matter of attitude. For months I've been slaving on a new story all by myself. All of a sudden, I HAVE FEEDBACK! There is something invaluable about that. I find out if I managed to put in what I'd hoped. If not, I have some clear guidance on how to get there.

That's the biggest thing writers need to learn--your editor is after the exact same thing you are. You both want the very best for your story. Here's how I tackle an edit. This can work when you get a critique as well:

1. Read the good things the editor had to say. Allow yourself to savor those, all the while knowing the medicine is coming.

2. Now comes what didn’t work. Read through the entire list of things that need shoring up.

3. Dig in. Often after reading a revision letter, you feel overwhelmed with all that needs done. But ugly as it looks, it’s possible to do this work in much less time than you ever imagined.

4. Do the small stuff first. Things like grammar, eye color, etc.

5. Tackle plot issues. I get out 3 x 5 cards and jot down plot things that need woven in.

6. Layer in character changes. Using 3 x 5 cards again I jot down things that need shoring up so I can layer them in as I read through.

7. theme issues. Can I layer that in better or with more punch? I look for ways to do that. Ami McConnell is great at finding those things that will help in this area.

Then I do one more read through and look for inconsistencies. Love this process!

The end result is a book I like. And Lonestar Homecoming is now shipping to stores so see if I did a good job on those edits! :-)

Writing from the Heart: The Next Generation

As I mentioned in my first post, I am a third-generation writer. It excites me to pass that interest on to my grandchildren. When my oldest daughter homescho0led Joey, he hated writing assignments, but he loved getting e-mail. He was still young enough to need mom's help at the computer.

One day I sent him an e-mail. "Joey, I have an idea. Let's write a story. I'm going to start a story and send it to you. I want you to figure out what happens next and send me an e-mail."

One day, when I went to visit his family, he met me at the door. "Grandma Pat, I know what's happening next, I just haven't sent it yet. " Then he filled me in on the next exciting installment.

In one of my many moves, I lost that story, but I do have one he and a buddy wrote for a high school assignment. And now, he is interested in writing sci-fi/fantasy.

Then there's Caylin. I went to her hometown to see her Little League game and take her home with me for the weekend. Slow traffic caused us to take a detour to get there. The reason -- a bad accident on the interstate highway. At the time I was a newspaper reporter/photographer and though off-duty, I had a camera and my curiosity with me. I didn't try to take a hike through a cornfield to get to the site of the accident -- not with a ten-year-old. It's a good thing I didn't. The driver of a semi was under the semi, his broken body severed in two.

We inch-wormed our way to a county road that took us into town. Pulling into a root bear stand, I ordered drinks and told Caylin she could stay in the car and enjoy her root bear. Her response -- "Can't I go with you Grandma? Do you have paper I can use to take notes?"

I found her a spare reporter's pad and a pen. We went up to a police officer who was standing on the sidelines. Traffic had been re-routed through our town. It was hectic. I asked whether I could get some information from the officer.

He answered, "Yes, Ma'am, but let me take over for the officer who's directing traffic. He was the first one at the scene."

I got a good story on my day off and had a good time showing my granddaughter what my job entailed. She took the newspaper I sent her to school and told all about being a reporter for a day.

Have any of you been able to share with children or grandchildren an enthusiasm for writing? Please comment and tell us about that experience.

Pat Radaker

Writing Groups

The Indiana ACFW chapter held a fabulous meeting this weekend in Indianapolis. I love to take advantage of every opportunity to meet with other writers. For me, writing groups meet the following needs:


Community
God created us to crave community with one another. Writers think differently. We need to meet with other writers who “get us” to fill a void in our lives.


Inspiration
In case you haven’t figured it out yet: writing a not an easy endeavor. We need to meet with other writers who have traveled the journey and can inspire us when the road gets rough.


Education
Writing is a craft. We need to study the craft to improve our writing. Iron sharpens iron. We need to meet with other writers who can answer questions, offer suggestions, and explain techniques to improve our writing.


Accountability
Writing takes discipline. There is no working supervisor or middle manager to require us to do the work. Corporate America has spent billions of dollars building accountability into their business models. They recognize the importance of accountability. We need to do the same. We need writing partners who will hold us accountable to do the work needed to make our writing dreams come true.


Do you participate in a writing group or have writing buddies? What benefits have you discovered?

Is It Time to De-Stress?

In the past month, responsibilities layered one on top of the other until I found myself barely surviving. At the end of each day, my biggest challenge was keeping my eyes open long enough to watch an hour of the Winter Olympics. Forget about meeting my writing goals.

I didn't step away completely, but I did learn that certain times in life require me to say "No", so that I can say "Yes" to my most important priorities. For me, that meant saying "No" to attending every Mom's group and blogging at a frenetic pace, so I could say "Yes" to my physical well-being, my family, and my writing goals (which have adjusted as a result of my down time).

I recently did a Google search on de-stressing, and I found a site called "100 Ways to Reduce Stress". Take the time to read it. You'll feel yourself de-stressing just looking through the list. And since writing is still a high priority for me, I think doing many of these activities will serve to make me a better writer in the process.

Where is your stress level these days? What can you cut out or add to your life to make you a more effective writer?