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Much of what passes across an editor’s desk has a dull sameness. There may be nothing really “wrong” with the writing. It’s competent, but it falls under the category of NNUTS (Nothing New Under the Sun). Nothing new in the ideas, nothing new in the characters or plot, and nothing new in the writing. Beginning—and sometimes experienced—writers often submit manuscripts that do not have unique voices.
Our greatest writers write from their guts, from their truths. They dig deep until they reach a vein within themselves that is pure gold. They tell stories that only they can tell, as only they can tell them. That, in a nutshell, is voice.
It often takes years for a writer to find his or her authentic voice. Voice is not simply the way a writer says things; voice reflects a writer’s unique way of viewing the world. Every editor is hoping to pick up a manuscript and find an original voice. That’s why finding your voice should be on the top of your writer’s to-do list.
Here are six ways to begin to understand voice and find your own:
Finding your voice will help your work rise to the top of the same-old-same-old manuscripts piled on editors’ desks. And that’s a goal worth pursuing!
Posted on: September 9, 2014
Tags: faculty guest post, voice, writing tips