voice | voice
Aug.31.2011
So, I’ve been thinking a lot about voice lately. I’m working on my second novel (which is actually my third, but I put the second novel in a drawer when the third novel started heating up), which is a young-adult story about a sixteen/going-on-seventeen-year-old boy whose long-lost mother turns his...
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Aug.29.2011
A reminder. I'm giving away e-books for a limited time. If you want one, don't delay. There's a link to the post in the Deals & Steals tab. And, if I don't respond immediately, it's because I'm out of town for a couple of days. Be patient; I promise to honor all requests.
While at a recent...
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Aug.24.2011
image via Harper's Magazine
I'm always leery of stories, or novels, written in what's purported to be "a daring break from old-fashioned literary stylism," or "a new stylistic voice," and this is why:
All too often, one of two things happen in such stories -
The style isn't thought through well...
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Aug.01.2011
Voice in literary fiction is one of those intangible qualities that separate the artist from the craftsman. It is something no one can teach us, either to develop in our own writing or to recognize in the writing of others, because it is such an individual thing. It is the manifestation of a person...
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Jul.17.2011
I'm editing my collection of connected short stories, and they're of an ethnic sort - - handling voice is easy enough when in-scene, but one story is mostly in the main character's head, and I have to wonder if he thinks in the same voice as his speaking one. Not necessarily, I have to admit, but...
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Jun.14.2011
About a year ago I spoke at an event at a college and one of the students in the audience asked me if I thought writing was compatible with having children. I know its a tough question and I can only speak for myself: My son was one of my best teachers. He helped make my writing more specific. ...
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May.06.2011
I accidentally agreed to read some first chapter submissions for a recent conference (or the conference organizer figured out I’m a Pisces and just pretended I agreed to it so I’d have to do it, which actually would work like a charm. Hmm… and that would be just like him, too.)
This is not...
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Feb.19.2011
Crazyhorse Litmag – Fall 2010, No. 78
I’m always curious to pick up a new litmag, if not for my personal marketing purposes, then simply to see what’s being written – and published. It’s always fun, too, to try to divine general trends the editorial staff may have for the mag, long run or...
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Feb.11.2011
Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon
This is one of those award-winning books (2010 National Book Award winner) that garners attention from the academic ranks and is no doubt the product of the MFA writing mill. For the most part, it works; in fact, it’s an exhilarating read, given its erudite...
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Feb.10.2011
The "creative thrust" mentioned in the last post has to do with the relative intimacies of one's writing. These may change from time to time - based on the writer's growth and on his/her intentions toward the text and the reader. For the most part, these intimacies can be summed up this...
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