Excercise/ Tip to Finding Your Writing VOICE (in fiction)

Aaaah! Voice. We’ve all got those "voice" rejections, haven’t we? Even if some were form-y, but still--sometimes they HURT! There was this manuscript I went out on sub with a few years ago, and I got a few “voice” rejections. So just reading the word “voice” right then was enough to make me CRINGE. And sure, there was that pesky word: “subjectivity.”

Still, I tried. And I thought I got it. I went to Amazon to browse sample chapters of a lot of NYT bestselling books. And guess what? I didn’t love the voice of all of them. In fact, I just loved the voice of like 60% of those bestselling books. Okay, so “subjectivity” was a real thing! But still, right then, I hadn’t sold any book, and I thought my voice could still improve. But HOW THE HELL could I make it better?

I didn’t know. Honestly. Still, I kept writing, switched agents, revised, etc. And still, a big, fat nothing.

Then, on a whim, I applied to book packagers. Many of them. Alloy, Working Partners, Cake Literary, etc. And, even though I got a few rejections, I also got a few “We loved your sample chapter! Do you want to audition?” And I did. And these packagers gave me characters to write about. Characters with flaws, interests, different streaks in their personalities, etc. So now I had to craft a voice for them, for many characters I hadn’t even created myself?? Talk about hard! But you know what? That was the BEST writing exercise ever. I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and explore different personalities that I wouldn’t normally write about.

Now THAT helped me with the voice thingy. I got into these many different characters’ minds. Trying to really get their goals, what made them tick. I got into the exact moment of their scenes, the conflicts in their heads. And slowly, things started to click together for me. Because I had learned to feel the characters. 

I think voice is about that. When you are writing with your heart, with your guts, when you FEEL THROUGH your character.

So, this is my tip if you want to work on your voice. It’s an exercise: go to Netflix or whatever, and pick 4-6 characters from a movie/series that you know well BUT wouldn’t normally write about. And write a scene—like fan fiction, but WAY OUT of your comfort zone. And don’t stop until you truly feel those characters. Explore the words they like to use and see why, and zoom in their minds--and create, too. And when there's even a sentence in your writing that reads without a voice, ask yourself, why?

It worked for me, at least. I started to get compliments on my voice. I got a three-book deal—with FOUR different voices. And most of all, I can finally say, I am happy with my own voice. And, if in the future I get voice rejections, I’ll be like, whatevs.

Tell me, did you find your voice? How? 

<3

M

An important tip to keep in mind while BETA READING

A few years ago, one writer I knew sent me a few chapters to beta read. I happily did. And for a number of reasons, I thought one of the scenes wasn’t there yet. Before telling her what wasn't working for me, though, I told this writer I thought her MS would be stronger if she nixed that scene. And THEN I named all the problems I saw in the scene. 

Big mistake. 

She got a little upset. And she was like, really, Mónica? Really? You think I HAVE to nix that scene? But I don’t WANT to nix that scene! Oh, no! Oh, no!

I think she may have had a panic attack.

I tried to backpedal. I said I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant the scene wasn’t working for me. And I spent like 5 emails trying to make it right and explain myself. Meanwhile, I realized why exactly I had screwed up: 

I had given a suggestion first, and then I had told her the reasons I thought her scene wasn’t working. In the end, she didn’t nix the scene. She just fixed it.

So that day, I learned this:  You ALWAYS have to give your objective thoughts first. And then, give the suggestions. But be extra careful to make it clear that they are just that: SUGGESTIONS.

So instead of saying: “I think it’d be nice to nix that chapter, because I didn’t connect with your MC there.”

Say: “I didn’t connect with your MC in this chapter [name all the reasons why. Such as: I think your MC sounded whiny in these paragraphs, OR these sentences make your MC sound too rational so the voice isn’t working for me, etc]. But I have a few suggestions that might help you fix that, like: 1) You could nix those sentences. 2) you can change them *this* and *that* way. 3) etc, etc. [You get the idea!] Or you can have your own brilliant ideas that are better than mine to fix those problems."

And (this has little to do with the post, but...) don't forget to be nice! Always start with a compliment... when you start with compliments, people are usually more receptive.  =) 

<3

Mónica

4 Writing Tips to SHOW and NOT TELL

One of the things I’ll be looking for on the Pitch Wars entries is the ability to show versus tell. Well, and not only in Pitch Wars, but in the other contests I host, like The Writer’s Voice, too. 

So today, I’ll be giving a few tips about how you can either identify when you’re telling, and how you can improve that.

1) Filters:

When you say “I knew,” “I think,” “I see,” you are telling the reader what the MC knows, what he thinks, what he sees, INSTEAD of just going ahead and showing what the MC knows, thinks, and sees.

Examples:  

“I wonder if it’s a good idea.” --> “Is it a good idea?”

“I knew he was right.”--> “He was right.”

So always, try to nix the filter… UNLESS you want to accomplish something else with the filter, like voice, or like foreshadowing something, like:

“He is the murderer, I’m sure.”

In that case above, adding “I’m sure” foreshadows that the MC can be wrong. And if the MC says “He’s the murderer,” then you’re not foreshadowing anything. He *is* the murderer, then, the readers will think.In other words, use filters knowingly.

2) Telly Verbs:

Watch out for these: “is, are, am, etc.,” and verbs like “feel.”

First work on identifying these type of verbs. Then you can change them.

Example:

“The wave was big.” --> ”The wave rolled forward and swelled, towering over the ships of the bay.”

“I am scared.” --> “Holy crap, where did I leave my taser?”

“What he’s doing is dangerous.” --> “He’s driving ever so fast, catching speed, aiming directly at that cliff.”

3) Naming Emotions:

This one is like the example above of the taser--when you name an emotion, like “She’s nervous.” Or “He was upset.” etc. When there’s the name of an emotion in your MS, then you probably are telling the reader how the character feels instead of showing how he feels.

Examples:

“I’m angry at him.” --> ”That @#$%&, he’s so full of himself. He should rot in hell.”

“I’m frustrated.”--> “Oh, come on! Give me a freaking break.”

4) Subjective Adjectives:

If the adjectives are subjective, like beautiful, pretty, ugly, etc, it won’t convey a visual to the reader—you won’t be able to show what you mean well. Because something that is pretty for someone could be ugly for someone else. Always try to choose objective adjectives.

Example:

“Her hair was so pretty.” --> “Her honey-colored hair shined, and when he touched it, it felt soft, like… [um, I can only think silk right now, haha! But “soft as silk” is so cliché. Still. You get what I mean, right? =) ]”

There are other ways to identify telly places, like watching out for “info dumpy” paragraphs, not using dialogue when you could, etc. But this post is getting long, so that’s all for today, folks!

Hope it helps!

Looking forward to reading your entries next week!

<3

Mónica