Writing Voice – Jean's Writing

How to avoid murdering your voice and boring the readers

Published on October 17, 2018October 27, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell17 Comments

Two words – Conservational writing.

Means: writing to a friend.

So how do you write like you talk without it sounding like crap? Without putting the reader to sleep?

Well, here are a few tips, hope they help.

Writing to a crowd can kill your voice.
- Instead, write as if you are writing to a friend.
- Imagine your favorite person opening and reading your book, email or text. Will they laugh, cry or close it up unfinished?
Conservational writing is not writing like you talk.
- Messy first drafts are to be expected.
- Then, edit until your writing doesn’t sound like stuffy writing but like casual conversation.
Don’t write to impress
- Write to be read.
- Use contractions.
- Write with common words.
Read blogs, contemporary novels and listen to podcasts.
- Avoid proper English books until ready to edit.
- Read good conversational writing.
Write in short sentences and paragraphs.
- This helps avoid boring the reader to death.
Use the active voice.
- Avoid passive writing when possible.
Read your writing out loud.
- Record yourself reading.
- Sounds too formal, rewrite.

Hope these tips helped a little. The articles below go into more depth, be sure and click on the links to read.

Do you imagine a friend when you write?

Do you think conversational writing applies to books, stories as well as blogs?

What tip could you add?

15 Tips for Writing in a Conversational Tone

How To Write in a Conversational Tone – A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Write Conversational Content and Make Your Readers Deliriously Happy by Henneke

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https://www.printwand.com/blog/15-tips-for-writing-in-a-conversational-tone

Urgent, What you need to know about writing

Published on September 18, 2018September 17, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell1 Comment

A recent article by author ALEXANDRIA Constantinova explains what sets successful books apart from the masses. If you want to have a competitive edge your story must have…

URGENCY!

Dictionary defines URGENCY as:

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
urgencies, urgent requirements or needs.

extreme urgency baby meme — Courtesy of WEKNOWMEMES

Last week I wrote about seizing the reader. (click to read.) In that post, I talked about using the dramatic pause to capture a reader’s attention.

But, we don’t just want to capture a readers attention, we want to keep it and get them to share with enthusiasm. And that usually happens through word of mouth. Think back to the last book you couldn’t stop talking about…

What compelled you to tell others about the book?

Something made you want others to share in your love and excitement for the book. But what did that book have that others did not?

Even if you want to take the traditional publishing road, consider agents receive thousands of submissions each year. And of those thousands, agents usually take on between three – ten new authors a year. (Click to read more.) And should you choose to self-publish, your competition is thousands released every day. So we must write better than ever.

What I learned from Alexandra:

URGENCY must be woven into the fabric of the plot, character, and voice of your novel. It can’t be just slapped in as an afterthought.
No matter the genre, URGENCY must evolve naturally from the characters, in the plot and circumstances.
URGENCY, it is the Voice itself that makes the audience want to continue reading.
To achieve a well-rounded story, I should try and incorporate URGENCY in as many areas as possible.
Let my characters deal with conflicts in their way, NOT in the way I might deal with a conflict. This should prevent me from writing the same thing over and over. Hmm.
Any section where a reader’s attention might wander is where I need to add URGENCY.

There are 3 basic areas where URGENCY should be included:

Plot which must include conflict.
Character development.
Voice

Places to add URGENCY…

First sentence
Last sentence of the first paragraph
Beginning and end of each chapter
Beginning and end of each section, IF divided into sections
When changing narrators or Points of View
Periodically throughout the novel
End of a novel IF it is in a series

I can’t stress it enough, head over and read Alexandria’s article. It’s jam-packed with information on how to write a stand-out, attention-getting, well-rounded novel.

Click this link and keep reading…

Urgency in Fiction, Part One BY ALEXANDRIA

OKAY, Y’all know I want to hear from you.

Tell me what you think about adding urgency to your story.

Agree, or disagree?

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How to know difference in your voice and a characters

Published on September 5, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell5 Comments

Sounds hard right?

It did for me. I found myself making the process harder than it needed to be. Between my WIP, blog, and branding I tied myself in knots.

Turns out I just needed to KISS.

NO! Not smooching. Good grief, get your mind out of the gutter.

But KISS as in – keep it simple stupid. I was trying too hard. Complicating the writing in search of my voice, when I had it all along.

After reading the following article, I rewrote the first chapter of WIP and pulled to the forefront, my voice.

What I learned from Lisa Hall-Wilson.

Writers (Authors) voice is how you decide to tell a story and is the same from book to book.
Just as we grow and change over the years, so does an authors voice, because our voice is an extension of ourselves and what is important in a writers life.
Character voices change from book to book. After all your not introducing the same person over and over unless in a series.
Branding is your persona and applies to our writing and not just advertising. Your book branding lets readers know what type of story they will find when they pick up your book. Scary, suspense, romance…

Lisa goes into a lot more detail on her website. Be sure and click the link below and read more.

In the meantime, I’d like to know…

Have you struggled with writer’s voice?

Do you often mix up character and writer voice?

How did you discover your writer’s voice?

Has your voice changed or evolved over the years?

How To Discover Your Author Voice And Why You Probably Already Know It by Lisa Hall-Wilson

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Find out how to stop killing your voice

Published on June 12, 2018May 20, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

And let readers know your works by your voice.

As soon as I opened my mouth, friends knew it was me, even before caller ID. All I had to say was hey.

Although I’m not particularly fond of teasing about my accent, I do want anyone who reads my book to recognize my writing. In a good way of course. Don’t you?

A few days ago I wrote tips on how to avoid writing like a newbie, which is my biggest fear. Even bigger than selling no books. Well, maybe they’re both my number one fears. A writer can have two at the top right? Anyway, the previous post was about how the pitfalls of word choice can show your newbie-ness. Seems there are way too many pitfalls to avoid. Thank God for Beta readers and Editors. Of course, I have to finish the manuscript and swallow my insecurities and turn my baby over to them. I think that’s also why I procrastinate on finishing the damn thing. But back to the topic at hand.

Anytime I can find a tip to help improve my chances of producing an amateurish, embarrassing book, I leap on it.

Kiara Mijares at The Writing Cooperative gives us three tips to help in her article –

Click and read — You’re killing your writing voice. Here are 3 ways to stop

What I learned about keeping my writing voice alive.

The first thing I need to remember is to use my voice!
Like I often admonished my kids, “Think before you speak.” I need to apply the same principle to writing. After all, we’re speaking our story on to paper.
Again, as a mom, many a time, I reminded my kids, “You best remember who you’re talking to.” Another lesson I need to apply to my writing. As Kiara points out, we are striking up a conversation with a reader.
As with any good conversationalist, learn to listen. Listen to the reader. If a conversation is one-sided it becomes a speech.
Keep story tight and concise. Cut like a maniac with a switchblade.
Don’t stop to edit when writing that first draft. (A big problem for me.)
Speak aloud as you write to avoid sounding like a robot and to find a natural rhythm. (Hmm, this might help me stop editing as I go. Gotta try it.)

What do you think? Any of this ring a bell?