Next up in my Advice for Novelists series, in which I ask authors, editors, agents and publicists the question:"If you could say one thing to aspiring novelists, what would you say?"
...is an author who's published several popular novels. Her advice:
First, I'm going to pass along something Dee Henderson said to me long ago: Find that one thing that makes you unique, and then become really good at it. For example I love contemporary romance, with a touch of suspense, and I lived in Russia -- so I took that combination and wrote a series of books set in Russia, and because I knew my topic so well, it came through in my writing and gave me a unique voice. SO -- make a list of everything that makes you "unique" and then see if any of those topics can be developed into a novel.
Secondly -- keep a writing journal -- a collection of phrases, and plotlines and characterization techniques and even titles that draw your eye and particularly touch you as a writer, and take the time to figure out why. This collection will shape and sharpen your own writing as you hone your voice, and your stories.
Finally -- don't get stuck on one project. Keep moving forward with story ideas, keep learning, and keep writing. (and write lots of things - newsletters, blogs, for your church, your family -- everything counts when you're honing your skills!) If you are faithful to be a good steward of the writing gift you've been given, God will use it!
--Susan May Warren, author of The Noble Legacy series, Mission: Russia series, and more. Visit her online at her website to learn more.
4 comments:
Great advice! I've heard so many people say, write what the publishers want, but I think this is the first time someone has said, Be unique. And I think it's good advice.
I think you just changed my life. Or if that is too dramatic (I tend to be that way, lol) at least the course of my career. Thank you!
Hugs,
Pammer
I have written quite a lot(articles, columns, published book reviews) and analyze others' writing for editors and agents (freelance paid,) but I've been having a tough time knowing what I want to write in fiction--ME.
I am immediately going to take this advice because I really think this will work for my personality type.
I'm like Pammer--you may have just changed my life! (Or at least helped me to focus a broad spectrum.) Love both Susan's and Dee Henderson's books, too.
That unique voice for novels is hard to nail down (and I know because I help sort through manuscripts all the time.)
Good stuff!Thanks.
I love the advice to "be unique." As I think back to the authors I read and like, that's definately something I can say about each of them. God created us us all unique and that's a gift! :)
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