Keeping it real

How is it the simplest things can be the hardest? We all know if you eat less, eat better, move more you'll be healthy and fit. If you spend less than you earn, your credit will be good and you won't be waking up at four in the morning wondering how to pay the milkman. If it is that simple, then why are we seeing record levels of obesity and debt in the West? Why don't we take care of ourselves, make our lives simple? As parents particularly I think it's too easy for your own needs to come way down on the list, but if you don't do the simple things for yourself - eat well, sleep well, have some fun once in a while - you start feeling it pretty quickly.

Similarly with our work, what everyone is looking for is simply an original voice it seems. Publishers are looking for writers with a strong USP - they want to know how they can place you in the market. I saw the cartoon above on the Savage Chickens site and just loved it. I've mentioned before how when you are starting out it's easy to mimic other writers' strong voices (I cringe now at my thankfully brief period writing like Hemingway). Originality - a clear, real, authentic voice is I think what we are all working towards. Doesn't Borders even highlight new writers by pushing a different 'Original Voice' each month? We are all different - no one else on earth has had exactly the same experiences as you, seen the world through your eyes. We watched 'Juno' last night, and loved it. The writer Diablo Cody had a lot of press for her interesting CV, but at the end of the day the film was fresh, and the dialogue rang out as a clear, original voice. Over time as you write you begin to get a sense of prose that is mannered and forced (of course it is always easier to see this in other people's work than your own, and this is where honest constructive criticism from friends or writer's circles really helps). 'Juno's' script was lean and snappy, but touching - and original.

TODAY'S PROMPT: Which writers do you think have really distinctive voices? What sets them apart for you? To tap into your own unique voice, think back over your life to a time of great happiness or sadness - to something that really moved you, and write openly about it for as long as you need, (no one need see this, and it if helps you can even destroy it afterwards and let the experience go). Open your heart and let your own voice come out clear and true - you're unique, so let it show.