Find Yourself in the Snort.

I love to read. That is a given as a writer but i cant help love to read articles and blogs and such things by other authors giving advice. I love to take it all in and learn. Its a thrill to learn a new way of handling characters, a new way to use other forms of sensory in descriptions so on and so forth.

but something i have learned, unintentionally, from all the articles and what not i read is that you must take each bit of advice and each writers "Facts" lightly and seriously all at once. its a balancing act between them.

Some things are non-negotiable. Some things come from each writers personal experience and isnt necessarily carved in stone. some are just preferences for themselves. their style and what not.

the thing that will cripple a writer is trying to do it all. Trying to force every single "fact" that comes across their own journey will inhibit more than anything. You have to pick and choose what fits best. Now, granted, you may have to revise based on an editor or agents wishes but that comes much later and is also subjective. Not taking their advice may mean the difference between published and back on your butt with nothin but thats entirely your decision. and again, comes much later.

The best advice i have received in the almost 2 years now is from a friend author who told me to find my own voice and the voice of my characters and just go with them. the technical stuff can come later. in the beginning just be you.

the most successful authors have their own voices. they didnt try and echo someone elses that had succeeded. true, inspiration and technique can come from someone else but your particular way is unique like a fingerprint and is the best for you. write like you. simple, plain, and might not rally a crowd but thats my advice for today.

yesterday i was supposed to be editing but couldnt focus on it enough (being at work) to put myself into it right then. its easy for me to lose myself even when things are loud and chaotic around me when im writing something new, but editing takes my full attention and silence to get it right. i guess its that whole, deciding what changes i want to make and what i like the way it is.

so instead i opened up a blank word document (my favorite kind. my brain LOVES the endless possibilities that come with a blank word document) and just started writing. for the first time in my life, im just blobbin along with this scene that is just goin goodness knows where(i surely still dont at this point) and made myself snort/smirk.

i have low self-esteem. an artistic curse a lot of the time but without meaning to i was clever and its kinda weird for me to recognize that i wrote something pretty good there. lol freak phenomenon.

Why do you enjoy reading the things you like? Be it fiction, nonfiction, westerns, romance, horror, what is it you love so much about it?