Yesterday, I talked about listening to your writing. Sometimes, your own voice – via your characters – will tell you what’s going wrong in a scene.

Has this happened to you? Did you notice what was happening in your writing and what problems arose? If so, did this change how you relate to your writing voice?

When I had this realization, it made me more aware that my writing voice is not merely a  monologue. I’m putting words on the page, but also having a conversation with myself as I write.

I’m now more aware of when I’m writing without intention, merely to fill space on the page or to meet my word count goal. I do a better job editing out redundancies and unnecessary repetition as I write.* I have a more intuitive sense of when my characters are moving away from what’s important to them or are inorganically diverted from their goals.

 

*Purposeful repetition, for emphasis or narrative flow is still my jam.