Jane Friedman really has some interesting guest writers on her blog. A couple weeks ago, this one from author Jennifer Loudon on developing your writing voice: “5 Ways to Develop Your Writer’s Voice.” (I’ve written some on this myself: here and here, just for starters.)

It’s an interesting article, with elements I hadn’t considered. Like this one:

2. Show Your Mistakes
Your voice won’t fully mature if you edit as you write. One of my writing retreat participants, Erin, said:

“My writing process hinged on editing. I wanted to say things perfectly, compulsively. My creative process consisted of a flash of inspiration and then the editing of that flash of inspiration repeatedly and compulsively until I was bored and it was boring. The hard work for me is to write through the bad.”

Try generating new material without deleting as you go. Leave a string of your not-quite-right words and ideas. What happens if you erase your first inkling? You interrupt the flow that will soon lead you to what you really want to say. Tidying as you go cuts off your process. Learn to tolerate seeing the mess so your voice has room to grow and permission to show itself.

I do this a lot: I leave asterisks in the text for a word or phrase I am stuck on. And I leave lists of words—sometimes I’m just using the list to brainstorm—in margin notes. I can’t tell you how helpful this practice is.

This “show your mistakes” also points out another advantage of the “ugly” first draft. Just get it down—and then go back and tweak it into your voice. You’ll instinctively know how.

It’s a good read altogether, so check it out!

Tweet: Writer, know thyself (to find your voice)!
Tweet: An interesting way to look at your writing voice.

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