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Design Star Finds Voice

Last night, I watched HGTV crown the new “Design Star,” Meg Caswell. I had watched some throughout the season and the judge’s commentary always made me think of the writer’s voice.

One of the challenges of the Design Star is to meld entertainment and solid interior design, making information fun. While they are at it, the designers must also find their “voice,” their online persona that will carry the show. Much like novelist, they must find a way to bring their personality to bear on the material.

At one point, the judges warned Karl that his “nervous laugh” was getting in the way of his performance. We have nervous laughs, too.

A common commentary–for the Design Star and the novelist–is to relax and be yourself. Yeah, right. With millions watching you expect Meg and Karl to “be themselves”? With readers flocking to your book, your story, editors expect you to be yourself? That advice is helpful? NOT!

In fact, most advice about finding your voice or improving your voice, fail me. I can’t “dig deep into myself and find things I want to express.” I can’t “let my personality flow out through the pen onto the paper.” It’s too vague. I need something solid, something to try.

The Writer’s Voice

Today, I’ll start a series about voice and how to manipulate voice. I approach it not as a mystical thing, but as a matter of practical manipulation of the elements that writers have at hand: words, sentences, passages. We will look at each of these in turn and how they fit together to create the voice of a piece of writing. Join me for the next few weeks to talk about voice.

So, really–did you want Meg or Karl to win?
And–how would you define a writer’s voice?

21. Do any of your characters have children? How well do you write them?

Yes, but (and here's where I'm cheating) only because the MC is their kid. I don't think I've written from a parent's perspective. Scratch that, it has to be a lie. I'm sure I have, but it's not something I set out intentionally to do.

22. Tell us about one scene between your characters that you’ve never written or told anyone about before! Serious or not.

Meg is definitely going to get frisky with her co-star (name subject to change), and yet they won't be revealing any skin in the book. I think.

23. How long does it usually take you to complete an entire story—from planning to writing to submitting?

Differs. For short stories it can be anything from a few hours to weeks depending on whether I think it's good to go or not. Most times, I hang my stories on the jingle bell line I've attached to my memo board and leave them to ferment. Then I redraft, then I hang them back up, then I edit, then I edit, then I edit, then they go.

24. How willing are you to kill your characters if the plot so demands it? What’s the most interesting way you’ve killed someone?

Oh, I'll kill any of my characters off in a heartbeat. Although for, 'The Midnight Motel' I may have resurrected a few.

Most interesting ways - I've drowned a soldier in a lake full of dead angels, I've sent men plummeting to earth after vengeful birds burst their balloon, and I'm thinking I need to come up with some more inventive murder plans.


Today's Word Count: 2187 + 545 (other projects)
Total Word Count: 48,703 + 5789 (other projects)

I am so hitting 50,000 words tomorrow. Or, I have so just jinxed myself.

16. Do you write romantic relationships? How do you do with those, and how “far” are you willing to go in your writing?

Romance has been lacking in my fiction lately (if you discount the girl who sorta dissolved). I desperately tried to shoe-horn a romance (and failed) into my YA 'Grim Glass Vein'. My first books though were all about the kissing and other things. Oh yes, once upon a time my characters went far.

17. Favorite protagonist and why!

Right now, Meg (from 'The Museum of Impossible Artefacts') because she's awesome and so much braver than me.

18. Favorite antagonist and why!

Right now, Derek Winters (from 'The Museum of Impossible Artefacts') because he's despicable.

19. Favorite minor that decided to shove himself into the spotlight and why!

Serena Tierney in 'The Maiden Phoenix' (how embarrassing - another unpublished novel). One minute she was a small love-interest part slated to die, the next she was doing the killing (and enjoying it).

20. What are your favorite character interactions to write?

I love it when they're verbally sparring with a tinge of sarcasm in the air.


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In other news, Poe Little Thing have accepted my story 'The Quiet of the Hour Glass'. And it's pro-pay. So happy. Ignoring the fact my book, 'Theatre of Curious Acts' was accepted in July by Hadley Rille (because that's a book not a short story) and that in the meantime I've placed stories with two markets where I was invited to submit (Spectral Press and Red Penny Papers), I haven't had an actual slush pile sale since May 8th. Me, panic? You betcha.

NaNoWriMo Catch up:

Yesterday's word count: 1711
Today's word count: 2047
Total Word Count: 36,297 + 3350 (other projects)

Fun Times: Meg and Jake (though in this draft I'm still referring to him as Ben - don't ask) are at the wall at the end of the world. It's mighty high and mighty wide and if they linger there too long, they'll end too.