Finding Your Voice: Knowing What You Have To Say
- Victor Castillo
- Mar 4, 2024
- 7 min read
My high school English Literature teacher once told my class that "every person has something to say." Yes, at the time, she was most likely trying to encourage us to finish the end-of-year essay, but it has never left my mind since. Every time I sit down to write like I'm currently doing with this article, I ask myself: What do I have to say? As writers, whether professional authors, amateur hobbyists, or high school English students, the most fundamental thing we must find is our voice. This is what sets us apart from the crowd. It's what makes you unique. Ultimately, it's what makes you, well, you. No one else is going to have your voice or your experiences. Yes, we can often relate to others, especially the situations authors frequently reflect in their works, but it is never 100% identical to our situation. And that is the key to finding your voice.
Every reader desires to see themselves reflected in what they read. Today, we have so many authors in the world that it is almost impossible to find someone who can claim that there is no fictional character to whom they can relate or see their situation and circumstances reflected truly and honestly. But what's more is that readers can often see themselves in characters and their experiences because the authors are infusing their work, even if it's a fantasy story with dragons and fairies, with their real-life experiences. Sometimes, it is the stories that are so chock full of fantasy worlds and creatures and societies that so accurately reflect the world and society around us. An author's voice is the foundation of their work, but more importantly, it is the foundation of their success.
Mired in Controversy
Chick Lit as a genre has faced one of the most jarring rises to recognition in literature. A genre only about thirty years old (making it the Millenial of genres), chick lit rose to fame right at the turn of the century as the 1990s were coming to an end. It saw one of the quickest rises to fame that could have been imagined. The genre founded on books written by women for women was an instant hit, and its authors were frequent faces on many bestseller lists. This led to many female authors being put in a box, in a sense, where regardless of the substance of their work, publishers were grouping them into the chick lit category just for its popularity. This went on for a while, but eventually, many authors became fed up with having their works mis-marketed solely to appeal to a specific genre readership. Especially as the chick lit genre is not exclusively meant for books written by women for women. The genre came about to encompass books written by women for women that focus on a female protagonist as they navigate romance, friendship, and the workplace.
In a way, Chick Lit is the quintessential genre of finding your voice. The genre was born out of books that featured female protagonists who broke the mold of what had long been the traditional female heroine of the romance genre and beyond. These female main characters were assertive, independent, financially stable, sexually adventurous, outspoken, opinionated, and much more than female readers had been craving in writing for a long time. It was these original chick lit authors that truly demonstrated the power of finding your voice, of writing the world as it is around you. They wrote women who were like them, women who were based on other women they knew, and their brazenness and individuality saw the birth of a new genre that, by the way the female readership devoured it, was a tell-tale sign of something long overdue. While female authors had long been around, many found themselves conforming to the expectations of what a female romance genre protagonist had to be if they wanted any measure of success for their work. This was the first time these female authors could write their protagonists as they wished to and find a place where they seamlessly fit in, even as they stood out.
One of the most famous and widely recognized works of the chick lit genre is Bridget Jones's Diary by Helem Fielding. It is a story that chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones as she navigates her family, romance, friends, self-image, career, and so much more along the way. The novel came out in 1996 and was quickly swept under the chick lit umbrella for its content and premise, but the work stands out. Decades later, it is still one of the most renowned works of literature worldwide. It came at a time when women craved to see this type of novel, this type of protagonist, a woman who stood on her own feet and didn't rely on anyone else to thrive. This is what sets the chick lit genre apart. Although many genre authors revolted against it because they felt their work was meant for other genres and publishers were boxing them in, many others found a home within the genre. The controversy lived for a long time within the genre, but to this day, it perseveres. Not everyone is meant for the chick lit genre, and authors should not be forced to conform to it if it is not where their voice lies. That's why it is so important to know your voice, to find it, so that you can find where you belong.
Stand Out
Every author, every person, has a unique voice, a unique perspective, and unique experiences that make us who we are. It is these aspects of our lives that shape the way we see and interact with the world. Whether you are an author or not, it is essential for you to find your voice. To know what you have to say, believe, and stand for. Because if you don't, then who are you?
Do you remember the last time you read a book you genuinely connected with? What drew that connection to you? Why did you connect with that character, situation, or setting? Anyone who read our recently released review of A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy learned that it brought one of us to tears, and he was not alone. I also found myself connecting with the experiences of the characters and the situations they were in. It is unrealistic that every character will be based on the author or made to reflect the author's experiences. Still, often, the author infuses their stories and characters with their own lives. The protagonist's love interest, mother, or best friend might be loosely based on the author's partner, parent, or friend. You might read about them and say that character is just like <blank>, or I do or don't agree with that. That is what a voice sounds like. When an author knows what they stand for, what they want to say, the story they want to tell. And when the reader responds to that story, that message. That is your voice.
It's time for an exercise! Don't worry; this one doesn't require you to write anything. This month, we want to challenge you to find an author whose voice comes across in their work. Nowadays, it is likely that you've read more than one work that you can already identify for this activity. Once you have found that author, think about why you connect to their work and what is so authentic that you can't help but relate. What experience or character have they written that you connect with? Find that part of the book and make sure that you remember how it makes you feel, how you felt the first time you read it. Commit it to memory and then strive to do the same in your work. Below is an excerpt from A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy that I found myself helplessly drawn to.
I want to tell her, but I can't. The tears won't stop. They're hot and wet and streaming down my cheeks. My body starts to shaken and it's as though every emotion I've ever tried to keep inside me is bursting out at once.
The excerpt above is from a scene in the novel where one of the characters faces the life-altering reality of coming out to their parent. It is such a raw moment, and the rest of the scene is just as raw and emotional as this. But the important thing to notice here is that not only did the author manage to convey the intensity and importance of the moment in less than fifty words, but he went beyond the bounds of it. Yes, the excerpt above is about someone coming out. Yet, if you read it without that context, it is a child and parent coming to a head about a long-kept secret, a person who has to break the news of a devastating loss to someone else they are close to, someone who has just learned that everything they've known is a lie. The possibilities are endless. Emotional reactions, especially powerful ones as described above, are something that we can all relate to. Adding the context makes it so that someone reading this and who has come out or is planning to come out will see themselves reflected in the scene. They will connect with it, and it will draw memories of their own coming out, whether positive or negative. It will draw an emotional connection.
Maybe the author himself faced this very situation, which is a recounting of his own coming out. Perhaps it's entirely made up. Possibly, it's based on the story of a friend or relative or a stranger they met. But what matters is that the author told it authentically. He didn't shy away from the brutality of the experience, from the emotional turmoil it brings about. That is his voice. His voice is authentic, raw, truthful, loving, and tender. His ability to go beyond simple text and form a connection is the power of his voice. That is the power of each of our voices. The matter lies with whether we are ready, willing, and able to find that voice. To honestly look inside and decide what we want to say and the willingness to actually say it. So, as you continue to write, take a moment and ask yourself: What do I have to say?
As said by athlete and activist Rosalie Fish: "The hardest part of finding my voice was finding the courage to believe my voice could actually make an impact."
IF YOU COMPLETED OUR EXERCISE, VISIT THE QUEEN'S CORNER TO CONNECT WITH OTHERS AND SHARE YOUR WORK WITH OTHERS LIKE YOU!
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