Day 3... Finding Your Voice
The voice of your book, especially in a non-fiction work, is critical. It needs to be personal, vulnerable, accessible and have an element of authority all mixed in together. Oh, and let's not forget about robotic 'I know best' stuff. We need to find your voice first.
The best way to do that is to understand a couple of basic tenets, the most important being that writing and editing are not the same thing and should never ever co-exist in the same space. That's like getting unhappy exes together for an intimate dinner party...it's just not fun for anyone and it makes everything you say a little more tense and awkward for fear of making one or the other upset.
"Write drunk, edit sober" is my favorite quotation from Hemingway. It reminds us that you have to write without polish, say it the way it first occurs to you. Write how you would speak to your best friend. There will be time for editing and buffering it up later.
So, write my friend! That's how your voice will emerge naturally. Save the detail stuff for later.
The best way to do that is to understand a couple of basic tenets, the most important being that writing and editing are not the same thing and should never ever co-exist in the same space. That's like getting unhappy exes together for an intimate dinner party...it's just not fun for anyone and it makes everything you say a little more tense and awkward for fear of making one or the other upset.
"Write drunk, edit sober" is my favorite quotation from Hemingway. It reminds us that you have to write without polish, say it the way it first occurs to you. Write how you would speak to your best friend. There will be time for editing and buffering it up later.
So, write my friend! That's how your voice will emerge naturally. Save the detail stuff for later.
Tomorrow...The Three Minute Rule
