Welcome to Teaser Tuesday. Each Tuesday, I will post a snippet of a book from my personal bookshelf. Some books may be fiction. Some may be on the craft of writing. Here's today's selection.
Craft Book Selection
Da rules.
That's how we lose our voices. One of the ways, anyway. One of the biggest ways.
Huh? (I can hear you now.) Whaddya mean, da rules?
Way back in P.S. 101, the rules are what Missus Grundy drummed into our pointy little heads. You know--those carved-in-granite commands of the English language--as administered by that well-meaning, sweetheart dragon in the third grade.
In this chapter, we'll take a look at just how those rules keep us from getting to our individual voice in our writing. We'll also look at some ways to overcome what may appear at first glance to be a formidable obstacle in our journey toward publication, but is actually easily overcome, as you'll see.
Page 10, Finding Your Voice, how to put personality in your writing by Les Edgerton
Here's the Blurb:
Find your voice--
and make your writing sing!
You know a great literary "voice" when you hear it: David Sedaris' humorous cynicism. Elmore Leonard's weary, smart-mouth dialogue. Nick Hornby's simple yet imaginative descriptions. It's the kind of writing you should aspire to, right?
Well...not quite. Each of these authors found success in part by developing their own unique voice: a writing style that helped define--and throw the spotlight on--their work.
Now Les Edgerton shows you how to develop a voice of your own, one that rises above the literary din because of its individuality, not in spite of it!
Inside, he provides guidelines, advice and dozens of exercises for recognizing and developing a natural style that will make your characters, stories and dialogue better and more memorable. You'll learn:
* How to make any piece you write unmistakably yours and your alone
* What agents and editors really think about using your own voice
* How to write better by ignoring "da rules"
* The keys to getting your voice and personality on the page
* How to get back the unique voice you may have lost by trying to write like someone else.
Whether you write fiction, non-fiction or poetry, Finding Your Voice is a must for your personal library. Let's face it--editors, agents and readers all want to read something fresh and new. By finding your voice, you'll be giving them exactly what they want!
Do you have this book in your bookshelf?
