Claire Fullerton's Blog: A Writing Life - Posts Tagged "writing-craft"

I’ve heard it said the first important step in writing is finding ones voice. I’ve also heard authors confess that when they write, they don’t read another author for fear of voice influence, however deep within the subconscious another’s voice may land. Perhaps some writers think another’s voice may outshine their own, tempt them to compare themselves with some imagined standard of excellence, throw them into self-doubt where they fear their own voice doesn’t measure up to the lofty mark of a more firmly established writer.
I believe all writers are on a forward momentum, ever-evolving path. Writing is an unending learning curve, a growth process of trial and error which often involves a weeding out process of that which does not work in the pursuit of fine tuning the craft.
All writers have the same aim: they seek more clarity, more ways of being unique, more ways of being succinct, more ways of commanding the English language, and it is an individual process contingent upon the myriad elements that make up the specific writer.
As for me, I write from the voice in my head—the voice with the inner-monologue running rampant whether I like it or not. I think it is born from my thought process; it is personal, it is intimate; it stands outside of judgment; it depicts my view of the world, it is unapologetically who I am. Another’s voice may have more bells and whistles, but they are not mine, so emulating another would therefore be a falsehood.
There is every reason to believe that in the literary world, there is room for us all. Writers should not doubt this. They should honor their voice with a devil-may-care attitude then get about the business of learning the craft to give them the forum in which to contribute to the world in their blessedly unique way.

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I want to expand on something I briefly mentioned in my previous post, which concerned reading other writers while you attend to your own work. I think it’s imperative that writers have a strong enough handle on their own voice that they’re not swayed by other writers; rather, they’re enriched by them. Being able to embrace the character and nuances of other writers can be a tutorial if you let it be so!
I don’t just read other authors; I study how they present their stories. I scrutinize their craft, the choices they make as they lay out a story like pieces of a puzzle infused with their individual personality. It occurs to me that it’s not enough to have a good story; what matters is how it’s presented, for therein lays the magic of craft.
Recently, I read Valerie Martin’s “The Ghost of the Mary Celeste,” which I found by tripping across Pat Conroy’s engaging review. As I’m a shameless Conroy devotee, I grabbed the book with both hands and held on tight through this tale arranged like a finely woven tapestry. Reading it confirmed that crafting a story can be like a waltz. The beauty lays in the unexpected ornamentation of the writer. Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find a book that confirms it’s not what you say, but how you say it.
There is everything right about allowing yourself to be influenced by the excellence of other writers, although I’m aware excellence is subjective. I liken reading other writers to being a perpetual student: if I’m open-minded, I can come to the task with reverence and learn something; then there is only the giddiness of the pursuit, the ability to receive inspiration dealt from the hands of mentors I’ll probably never actually meet, but with whom I am linked through the love of language and the camaraderie of writing.

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I have cause to travel up and down the California coast on a regular basis - a five hour journey through vineyards and far reaching hills on either side of the 101 freeway that is surprisingly rural in all directions. While my husband drives, our two German shepherds sleep in the back. I stare out the window where my imagination climbs every verdant incline and taps out a cadence along every golden path. I pretend I’m a part of all I survey, that I belong to the vista in a way that is so personal it colors my emotions with nostalgia as I sail through a moving parallel reality.
Sooner or later, I put in my earphones and scroll through my musical playlist, which turns the trip into an audio/visual experience, but I noticed just yesterday that once I do, the songwriter takes over completely.
I am in awe of good songwriters and here’s why: they can give me an entire experience in under five minutes. With finely crafted brevity, they establish a premise, set a scene, and evoke an emotion that my entire being accepts without question. For an instant, the lines become blurred between the songwriter’s range of experience and my own. Good songwriters write in a way that is so accurate and truthful, it makes the human experience uncomplicated by virtue of the fact they encapsulate it so simply. They don’t need to be wordy or superfluous, they get right to the point and call things by name with well-appointed clarity. They are urgent in their cards on the table concision, and this teaches me all I need to know about writing in general. I’ve been shown from songwriters that writing is about the right words in the right place without the distraction of bells and whistles. When I write, I keep this in mind as a principle and it gives me guidelines that are naturally resonant, which helps me stick to my point and say what I have to say.

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