Writing Tip: Finding (and feeling) the Strength of Your Voice
The most significant quality of a strong life-writing narrative is voice. A reader may choose a memoir for its interesting story but they will read to the last page because they want to know who is speaking. For the writer, finding the who is the real work.
Vivian Gornick, in her book, The Situation and the Story, writes about the necessity of creating a narrator who is you and at the same time not youâshe calls it the persona. But how to make a bridge from the you of personal experience to the persona that will control your story?
In the Field Guide to Writing Flash Nonfiction, Jennifer Sinor recaps Bill Roorbachâs valuable exercise from his book, Writing Life Stories:
- Write a letter to someone you havenât seen in a while and explain yourself (it will never be mailed so you can be brutally honest).
- Once youâve composed the letter, remove the salutation and the small talk.
– See if you can uncover the heart of the letter: issues, dramatic tension. Read your words aloud. Feel the strength of your voice.”
By: Cathy Ostlere
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