It's Not Easy Being Different by Kitty Griffin

Last night on "The Voice" Mia Z got booted off. (She's the gal in the upper left corner with the ponytail)
Why?
Her voice was different. 
Her style unique. I don't understand.
Sawyer is getting credit for his unique voice and he's most likely going to win the entire competition.


Okay, so I'm being a bit grumpy. I loved Mia's voice and to support her I bought several of her songs from iTunes. I think this 16-year-old who sounds as though she's possessed by a woman much older is wonderfully talented.

Sometimes though, sometimes being too different doesn't work. 

Especially for a writer and for a writer's first book. There are unwritten rules for emerging writers to follow and if they don't know them they can waste a lot of time. 

And that is so frustrating. And unfair. Because just like the young singer Sawyer is credited with being a genius and something NEW, because Mia choose an old style she finally ended up being voted off the show by America. Her coach, Pharrell, who recognized and delighted in her talent couldn't save her.

Should she have sung familiar pop songs in a familiar style? Because she has the pipes to do it. 

But she wouldn't be staying true to who she was. And Pharrell never ever asked her to change. 

Same thing with writing.

When I teach I always encourage people to be true to who they are and to what they want to write.

I just warn them, that being too different might mean it takes longer to break through.

Mia has a unique talent and fortunately she lives here in Pittsburgh where there is solid support for both live music and her style of the blues.

And i'll be happy for Sawyer. He's just a kid. He is amazing and I'll most likely be buying his albums in the future.

So how about you? Is your voice different? Is it going to help you get published or keep you from being published?

LOOKING FOR YOUR VOICE? by Kitty Griffin

Pharell Williams sitting in his chair on "The Voice"

This is Pharell.

He’s looking, listening, waiting for the singer who will blow the audience away.

What do they need to succeed?

Voice.

Something that when they sing identifies them.

What do writers need to succeed?

Voice.

Something that when they write identifies them.

What do artists need to succeed?

Voice.

Yes, voice. Because how they choose to express what they see is what they are telling the world. Surely you know the difference between Picasso and Van Gogh. Right?

How do you want the world to see your voice?

What do you want to put in your writing to make it stand out?

Rich, lush descriptions? Like this from “The Disenchanted Widow” by Christina McKenna.

         

               She blew jets of smoke from her nostrils like a dragon in a fairy     tale, crushed the fag in a prickly pear cactus on the windowsill, yanked the bag from him.

Rich, full of images.

Full of style. Full of voice.

If you ever get stuck with your writing try listening to the sample of music provided on iTunes of the same song by different artists. You will be AMAZED at what they accomplish with their instrument, with their voice.

I didn’t mean to get hooked on “The Voice” this year, but gosh darn, I’m sucked in. I have my favorites and when they sing I get teary-eyed. I love the 15-year-old Sawyer who strengthened his voice by singing to the cows on their farm. I love Tanya who helps prison inmates sing in a choir. I adore crazy-moves Hannah who puts her entire body in her songs. I admire 17-year-old Mia from Pittsburgh (a Yinzer girl!) who gets taken over by the spirit of a smoky-voiced 40 year old experienced woman.

So, as you work with your writing, think about your voice. How do you want to sound to the rest of the world?

Voice

This is just a reminder.

Read your work out loud.

Voice--that special "something" that a character has that makes them come alive to the reader.

Voice--how we communicate.

I just read 20 pages of a novel out loud to my daughter and got a conk on the head regarding my character's motivation that I never ever saw when I read silently.

For those of you waiting to publish, remember this. Read your work out loud. If you stumble over a sentence realize that the reader may stumble. When in doubt, pluck it out! Edit. Edit. Edit.

After all, how do editors edit? They say, "I love it love it love it can you change it!" Just kidding, but not really. That's why it's best to make sure when you submit your voice is sound, your writing is clean.

If you don't have a daughter to read aloud to, try the dog.

Make Room for ROOM

 posted by Andrea Perry

When I think of patriotic things I am reminded of an old phrase that goes something like this: "...as American as apple pie, motherhood, and the 4th of July..." Or was the third thing fireworks, or the American flag? I'm not sure, but I am sure that when I think of motherhood, I am reminded of a book I read recently that I could not put down from the moment I read the first line, "Today I am five."
ROOM is the story of Jack, now officially five years old, who along with his mother has lived his entire life (!) in Room, an 11" by 11" place with Bath, Wardrobe, Duvet, Table, Skylight, Door, Rocker, Dresser and what turns out to be most ominous, Outside.  Not only does your curiosity about why these two are confined to Room make this book a page turner, but more riveting is Jack's voice, as the book is told entirely from his point of view.
  
     " I cried so my eyes nearly melted off."
     "Ma plays with Tank too long but not too long.  She gets sick of things fast, it's from being an adult."
     "What started Baby Jesus growing in Mary's tummy was an angel zoomed down, like a ghost but a really cool one with feathers.  Mary was all surprised, she said, "How can this be?" and then, "OK, let it be."  When Baby Jesus popped out of her vagina on Christmas she put him in a manger but not for the cows to chew, only warm him up with their blowing because he was magic."

Who among us has not heard time and time again over the years that editors are always looking for that 'voice'?  I can't remember ever hearing a more compelling voice than Jack's.  We learn all about Jack and his Ma's world through Jack's observations and in particular what Ma goes through to make their 11" by 11" life bearable.  How is she able to do it?  And can she continue to do it?

     "Today is one of the days when Ma is Gone.  She won't wake up properly.  She's here but not really.  She stays in Bed with the pillows on her head."

Dare I say this story was 'ripped from the headlines' when we have all just heard about Jaycee Dugard?  Mothers are out there who are driven to do incredible things, and thank goodness for their children.  I encourage you to pick up this book to learn about the power of motherhood, as well as to listen to Jack's voice.

Finding Your Voice





L-R - Deborah Vetter, Cicada and Cricket; Rachel Abrams,
HarperCollins Children’s Books; Quinlan Lee, Agent, Adams Literary





Last weekend I attended Western Pennsylvania’s SCBWI conference held in Pittsburgh. I sat in on informative sessions with Deborah Vetter, Rachel Abrams and Quinlan Lee. In Quinlan Lee's session, she pointed out that at almost every conference, an attendee asks, “What are you looking for in a manuscript?” Her reply: “Award Winning Books and Bestsellers.” But joking aside, Lee gave the audience the best ingredients for a great book. One of the main ingredients was a strong, unique voice.

As a newbie writer, I repeatedly heard editors or agents say, "I'll know a good voice when I hear it, or send me a book with a good voice." I never appreciated or clearly understood that reply. Now, as an avid YA reader and writer, a strong, clear distinctive voice smacks me over the head with every new novel I read. And to the contrary, an indistinctive, stereotyped personality will force me to stop reading after a few chapters. I finally “get” why editors and agents say they can tell within the first few pages of a manuscript if they want to read more.

As I peruse my bookshelf, certain books jump out as ones that have pulled me in because of the main character’s voice. I could list loads of examples, but I’ll pick two to illustrate voice.

I’m sure most of you have read Suzanne Collins trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay). In these books, the main character, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen’s strong voice draws the reader in from the first page to the last. The contrast between her strong exterior to her vulnerable interior makes her both a likeable and believable character, who the reader wants to root for until the end. Her determination and wit shows through in both her dialogue and her thoughts.

In Jeannine Garsee’s Before, After, and Somebody in between, 14-year-old Martha Kowalski has had a rough life facing the day to day struggles with her addict mom. Her tough girl act cannot mask her huge heart and passion for music.

A character’s voice becomes distinguishable through inner thoughts and dialogue. When I first started writing novels, all of my characters sounded the same. If the taglines were hidden, the reader wouldn’t have been able to tell which character spoke any particular line. Many of my characters were boring and stereotypical. Referencing Dave Amaditz's November 15th post on Katherine Paterson, it wasn’t until I consistently read and analyzed young adult literature that I understood the importance of voice. I finally began writing from my character’s point of view rather than mine as the narrator. My characters became more real and believable.

In a novel with a clear, strong voice, the reader should be able to identify who is speaking without seeing the tagline. As a test, I opened each of the above books at around the halfway point and scanned down the page for the main character’s thoughts or dialogue.

In Mockingjay, Katniss faces a man from another district who wants to kill her. She has to give him a valid reason not to end her life, but she can’t. “We blew up your mine. You burned my district to the ground. We’ve got every reason to kill each other. So do it. Make the Capitol happy. I’m done killing their slaves for them.” The fire and passion comes through Katniss’ dialogue. The reader is clear Katniss is speaking without seeing her tagline.

In Jeannine Garsee’s Before, After, and Somebody in between, Martha is taken to jail for defending herself against the school bully. During Martha’s processing, she examines the contents of her belongings. One blue flannel shirt with a missing button, one red T-shirt, bleach stains duly noted, one pair of blue jeans with a ripped knee, one pair of stinky socks, one pair of beat-up nylon Reeboks, a pair of pink flowered underpants minus half the elastic, one plain white bra with a safety pin in the strap. No money, jewelry, keys, trinkets, or anything else that speaks of a real life. Even if you haven’t read this novel, you get a clear sense of the character and how poorly she rates her life. Her hardship and struggles speak to the reader through her hardened voice.

The more you read, the more you’ll be able to identify a strong voice. As you get to know your characters and understand their strengths and faults, you’ll write more distinguishable characters with unique voices. And the next time you’re at a conference and the editor or agent asks for submissions with a strong voice, you’ll smile and nod because you will also understand a good voice when you read it or write it.

To learn more about the authors mentioned above, please visit:

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

http://www.jeanninegarsee.com/