It’s difficult to be an author and carve out your own identity. There are industry standards, armies of gatekeepers, lengthy histories of each genre, and the constantly gnawing self-doubt. A negative opinion on our style can hit harder than 100 positive comments. Especially when we start, we find ourselves standing at the edge of a precipice that we pray we can walk away from. Here are some tips to help you take the first step and get away from that abyss.
- Always remember that styles evolve over time. They might never reach their final form because you could always find something to add. We are constantly trying to hone our craft and make each story better than the next. So, a negative comment early on only means you, like all authors, have a temporary flaw to buff out of your style. Take it in stride and use it to evolve like a Pokemon.
- Jumping on a bandwagon could help you get attention as long as you sacrifice the style you feel is more natural. This is a dangerous path. For one thing, that bandwagon is popular because somebody already took the driver’s seat and many others jumped into the front few rows to show there was more of a public desire. You may end up in the backseat and get just enough attention to succeed, but not enough to get a solid fan following that will carry over to when you try to write in your own style. This is where you have to weigh being yourself and struggling against following the trend and risking your author identity.
- Similar to #2, DO NOT set out to be the next *insert famous author*. That claim means you’re stepping into the shadow of an established figure and those fans will take you seriously. Every aspect of your author identity will be put under a microscope, carefully dissected, and compared to the person you want to imitate. This doesn’t happen if you step up and claim you’re writing in your own style. Now, you can say you were influenced and inspired by that author. That’s different. You aren’t trying to claim the mantle (mantel?) and fandom.
- Everybody makes mistakes with their style at some point. It can be early on when you’re still learning or later during an experimental phase. Authors are humans and we make mistakes. As long as you learn from them, you should be fine. Also, don’t forget to admit when you make a wrong turn. People can tell when others are lying in this arena.
- Be wary of authors who try to help you with your style. Not with your writing, but with your style. Learning how to use commas, semicolons, and tenses is one thing. When another author that acts as a mentor starts pushing you to write in a way that is extremely different than what you started as, it may be time to think about it. They could honestly be trying to help you and not realize that they are eroding your own identity. They could reveal that their plan all along was to make a clone of themselves in the hopes of establishing their own school of writing style. (I’ve met those!) Solve the issue by talking it out and standing up for what you believe in.
- Experimentation is fun. Never think that establishing your style means you can never try new things. It’s like eating out at a restaurant, but without someone at the table making enough substitutions to turn spaghetti and meatballs into a rather lacking Cobb salad.
- Cherish the positive comments, but do not let them draw you into a state of staleness and egotism. People will love what you do and ignore your faults. Some may simply think it isn’t their place to point such things out. It’s the polar opposite of those who nitpick and try to destroy you. Both can cause trouble, so take them with grains of salt and open minds. That or ignore them while focusing on those that give you a more balanced opinion. Your choice.
I imagine it is important to be honest with yourself about why you are writing in the first place. While I would like to have readers, my writing is more about self exploration.
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Genre plays a factor too, I guess. With fantasy, I push primarily to entertain. If I can fit social commentary or self-exploration in without erasing the escapism then that’s an added bonus.
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Me, too, Charles. Inwrite to entertain, but sometimes more serious things creep in.
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Yup. It isn’t a bad thing. My opinion is that having serious slip into the fun is a better way to get your point across.
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great tips Charles!
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Thanks.
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Very helpful tips. I have also found having a reliable critique group to be helpful. I know that’s not always possible for many authors. The chemistry of the critique group is very important. I’ve been in critique situations where the feedback was poisonous. This happened mainly in a workshop setting. Some giving critiques tore down everyone’s manuscripts (like the authors mentioned in #5), trying to sound more knowledgeable than everyone else. The workshop leader gave advice that stuck with me, “If the feedback you receive doesn’t cause you to feel excited about working on your manuscript–doing the work of improving it–ignore it.” I never forgot that advice.
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I’ve had many critique groups backfire on me. It goes well for a while and then you get battling egos. Had a few die because one author took it all over, so nobody else got help. That is great advice you were given.
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I’ve also been in critique groups where what you mentioned happened. All of those broke up. I didn’t want to get involved in another one until this one came along.
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I’ve been really gun shy about them ever since. My usual anxiety doesn’t help that situation either.
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Very well said! Finding your literary voice can be a challenge. I liked what you wrote about evolving over time in particular. The first lesson I learned in Creative Writing class was how to hush that inner critic.
-Jaymie
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That inner critic can be a pain. Comes in handy some times. I remember being taught how to take critical abuse. Just had to sit there quietly while my story was torn apart and translated in ways I never expected.
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That sounds intense. I was an arrogant adolescent, but one teacher quickly humbled me by firmly reminding me there is always room for improvement. At the very least, writing should be fun for the writer.
-Jaymie
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While the whole thing was intense, it really didn’t help every author. I always had doubts and fears about my own ability, so this ended up frustrating me a lot. There wasn’t much of an ego to eliminate and just made me hate presenting my work.
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I’m sorry to hear that was a negative experience for you, Charles. I’m a big fan of free association writing and then going back to edit my work. Sometimes I get more caught up in the technicalities than the content, so that has been beneficial to me. I hope you’re in a more positive creative place!
-Jaymie
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The positive energy comes and goes this year. Life has been kicking me pretty hard for a while, so there are days where I can’t muster the urge to write. Take them as they come until the bigger messes pass. Hope you’re doing well on your projects.
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Yes, as a mental health writer with mental illness I definitely utilize it with the ebb and flow myself. Be gentle with yourself. I hope you find some healing soon.
-Jaymie
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Thanks. Hope I find it too. Cool that you write about mental health.
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I can’t fathom writing about anything else. I do not have the gift of invention.
-Jaymie
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I get it. I’m the opposite. Imagination is the only gift I think I have.
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Excellent advice, Charles. Style is something every author ought to hold onto.
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Thanks.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
More great tips from Charles 👍
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Thanks for sharing. 😀
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👍😃
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie ~ Authors.
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Thanks for the reblog.
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Reblogged this on Jeanne Owens, author and commented:
Some great tips to keep in mind.
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Thanks for sharing.
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It’s really hard to draw that line for authors who aren’t naturally confident. For myself, I try to give advice that encourages new writers to keep trying, rather than telling them they’re doing it wrong.
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I try to give advice with the clear caveat that it’s only an opinion. If the person seems to be iffy on my advice then I assure them that whatever works for me might not be useful for them. It takes the awkwardness out of the conversation.
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Really good advice for someone just starting to explore their writing, thank you.
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You’re welcome.
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