Knowing Yourself as a Writer
What is Your Writing Style?
Probably the most wonderful day in a writer’s career is when the writer discovers who he really is — getting a book published is also great! When we start writing, we really don’t know who we are.
Many writers at the beginning of their career imitate what is already out there. Or they imitate what works for others without finding out if the same strategies work for them. Don’t get me wrong, imitation is good and I always encourage new writers to imitate (not copy) writers they admire. This is a way to try on different voices and styles and to learn what works for them and what they like. This is the way we learn who we are as writers and it’s actually my first piece of advice for beginning writers.
But during this time of practice, writers should pay close attention to what they’re doing. One of my favorite writers is Steinbeck, but I write Women’s Fiction, nothing remotely close to what Steinbeck wrote.
One day, however, an agent told me that the opening of one of my novels reminded her of East of Eden. I was shocked. “Steinbeck?” I asked her. And she explained that the description of the setting and the tone of the opening was very much Steinbeckish.
It wasn’t something I did on purpose, but my love of this author and the many times I’ve read his…
