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268th out of 321 books
—
503 voters
Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing
by
Les Edgerton (Goodreads Author),
Rachel Vater , Michelle Ruberg
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-mouthed 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 vo...more
You know a great literary voice" when you hear it: David Sedaris' humorous cynicism. Elmore Leonard's weary, smart-mouthed 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 vo...more
Paperback, 241 pages
Published
March 8th 2003
by Writer's Digest Books
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(showing
1-30
of
186)
Mar 13, 2010
Nisah Haron
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all writers
Shelves:
books-on-writing,
non-fiction
I have learned that it's okay to be myself and it's very much okay not to sound like Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison et al, because I'm definitely not them. Thank you again, Les. After reading "Hooked", I really love this book as well. Thank you for writing it!
We writers are almost constantly told about voice. In snippets. We'll read an article and it will say "write in your own voice" or "trust your voice" or "don't copy Flaulkner or Hemingway, develop your own voice." Blah, blah, blah. This is the only book I know of dedicated to our writing voice, and as such, it contains probably more than you want or need. It's overkill. Les includes many examples, passages from his works and from works of authors who have found and used their own voice successfu...more
You know that little ditty "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine?" -- It's all right here, just for you. And if you've ever questions your voice in writing, Les Edgerton—the Author of Hooked, Write Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets The Go—lets you know with humor and certainty that if you let your natural voice shine, so will your writing.
His humor and personal anecdotes made this a fantastic read. Talk about voice. The entire reading experience was a lot less l...more
His humor and personal anecdotes made this a fantastic read. Talk about voice. The entire reading experience was a lot less l...more
I saw this book while picking up another book in this section and decided to give it a read. After reading three chapters, I realized I wasn't going to learning anything new. I've read the same information in other writing books. This book isn't so much about adding personality to your writing as about not writing exactly like your favorite author or how your English teacher taught you to.
I wouldn't say the book is bad, just that I didn't see anything truly unique about it. But a writer who's ju...more
I wouldn't say the book is bad, just that I didn't see anything truly unique about it. But a writer who's ju...more
At first I agreed and liked the examples and opinions used. Edgerton has a fluid style and makes it easy to read the book. As I got further in it felt more like gospel and eventually I got to points that I thought was bad advice or just poorly written. For example he says trust your voice and that he has totem rewrites down to one or two... and if we go beyond that because of others' standards we are losing our voice. I think as many rewrites as it takes is what we should aim for and it all depe...more
After you've read the writing books that point out all the errors you made when you were starting out, and then you've read the writing books that make you feel like you'll never "get there" with your writing, this book is a refreshing boost to your confidence.
"If you’ve read rabidly all your life, believe it or not, you know as much as just about anybody in the writing game. You may not be able to articulate it as well as some professors, but you don’t have to. All you have to do is follow you...more
"If you’ve read rabidly all your life, believe it or not, you know as much as just about anybody in the writing game. You may not be able to articulate it as well as some professors, but you don’t have to. All you have to do is follow you...more
This was the first how-to book of Edgerton's I read. I had read about it in the Writer's Digest magazine and read an article in the same magazine by Les. I'm a hard-headed mofo sometimes, and Les will vouch for that, but he lays it on the line here. He makes you toss out the window everything you ever learned in school about writing.Definitely worth your time and money to invest in.
Jul 04, 2010
Ummu Fatihah
is currently reading it
Still reading and find it very interesting.
At page 75 and found out this is an easy way to write a how to book. Just ask people not to do what are encourage by other author.
For example, common guide is to write is to show, not to tell. And this book's tip would be dont do this all the way, which is correct but sure not a new thing to us.
At page 75 and found out this is an easy way to write a how to book. Just ask people not to do what are encourage by other author.
For example, common guide is to write is to show, not to tell. And this book's tip would be dont do this all the way, which is correct but sure not a new thing to us.
Some good exercises, but overall it's not a "workbook." I like the voice of the author--humorous and real. Lots of suggested reads listed in the back, that's also a plus. I took my time going through this one.
Jun 04, 2010
Ranger
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone who ever wants to write stories
Shelves:
writing
I really loved this guy's stance on writing. Basically, trust your gut, get rid of that critic-nag-dude(or dudette) in you and others, and just write for yourself.
One of the top three most important books on writing I've ever read. Not exactly a "how-to" manual but just what I needed at this point in my writing career. A must-read for anyone seeking publication.
His voice is a bit wordy and repetitious for me, but the content is worthwhile for those looking for an understanding of the subject.
I highly recommend this book. This is an area I've really been struggling with, and I learned a lot by reading this.
Jan 24, 2010
Cynthia
is currently reading it
A friend just gave me a boatload of encouraging writing books. I could cry. Ask if you want to borrow any.
His other book - Hooked - was much better. Nevertheless, this also is a good book. I bet if I had read this before Hooked, I would have rated it higher.
May 03, 2013
Laura
marked it as to-read
Apr 30, 2013
Sjmakes
marked it as to-read
Apr 25, 2013
Kim Ramsey coate
marked it as to-read
Mar 29, 2013
Pam Trefftzs
marked it as to-read
Apr 01, 2013
M.H. Mead
added it
Mar 08, 2013
Erick Allen
marked it as to-read
Feb 12, 2013
Bonnie
marked it as to-read
Feb 04, 2013
Michelle Roberts
marked it as to-read
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updated Mar 14, 2010 07:42pm
Mar 16, 2010 03:24am