Saturday, February 26, 2022

Authentic voice - a question on Twitter


February 26, 2022

I confess - I like Twitter. All sort of folk are on Twitter and they say the weirdest things and pose the strangest questions. Earlier today, there was a question put forth about authentic voice. How/when, as a writer, did you find your authentic voice? Something like that. 

I replied I didn't know my voice was ever not authentic, and that's true. I didn't do that to be a smartass. 

But the question struck a chord with me. Suddenly, I realized why I don't read some very well-known authors. They're writing to an audience - not that I think that's a bad thing. I think it's fine. It just doesn't strike a chord with me. I'm not their audience. 

Having an authentic voice must be the reason why I've enjoyed some newer authors so much. I do try to find books that Amazon has buried because the real gems exist there. 

Now comes the question: After all these years, is my voice still authentic? 

This author has some self-examination to do, eh? Do I still have the "unique writing style" reviewers gave me praise for having? And, EGADS! Do I "sound" as tired as I am? 

Yes, I like Twitter. Twitter is full of revelations.

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 KC Kendricks


Social media links:
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys
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Sunday, February 20, 2022

Chapter 7 is in the can


 February 20, 2022

I remember back in the days of my writing youth when I could pound out a chapter a day. Honest. I could do that. I'm no less talented and/or capable now, so what the heck is my problem?

This past week, I've been chatting via email with my buddy Brenda Williamson. We've been friends since the Whiskey Creek days, back in the mid-nineties. It's always good to touch base with her, as she's my southern connection. She sent me a copy of her most recent work and I'm about to load it on the Kindle and give it a read. 

Chatting with Brenda has given me a bit of inspiration. I've finished chapter seven of the sequel to Ride Your Luck. It's time for the romance to launch! That's always a good spot in the writing of a story. 

If it were the old days, I could finish it before the end of February. IF it were the old days. Now I hate to even guess when it may be finished. 

But things are looking up! At the day job, my replacement has been hired and her start date is March 8. The chair of the board has informed me I'll be paid full salary and benefits through May 31, even if she doesn't need me to go to the office every day. That is beyond generous! I look at it as a reward for my twenty-two years of service. 

Just knowing that they think highly of me has boosted my morale. I'm going to miss my co-workers even as I'm eager to embrace being "retired." I questioned whether or not I should continue to write and I'm coming around to believing the answer is YES. 

I have stories still to tell. I'll get there. 

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 KC Kendricks


Social media links:
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys

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Saturday, February 5, 2022

What fun! A writer's flowchart


February 5, 2022

I sat down to write this blog and immediately needed, yes needed, a cup of tea. It continues to be cold here in western Maryland. Deuce is suffering a bad case of canine boredom. I certainly feel his pain. 

Saturday mornings can be a bit slow when it's this cold. It's become our habit to stay in bed a bit longer and once up, slurp coffee in silence. It's a much different routine than in past years. But once I make it to my computer, the routine doesn't vary too much. Check email, scan the headlines (and mutter), check social media, and then get down to the business of writing. Warm weather will bring different routines but as I'm at long last on the verge of retirement, I'm not sure what they will be. 

Today, Twitter coughed up a Writer's Flowchart that I quickly snagged for a closer read. It's actually quite good and not the "funny" I first thought it might be. It asks good questions and leads the writer down some thought-provoking avenues. Is my character at fault? In the current WIP, neither of the MCs are at fault for the circumstances that brought them together. At least, not yet. This flowchart has me toying with an idea of altered circumstances that would make something Character A's fault, yet not his deliberate fault. 

As a writer, I'm never so experienced that I can't learn, or re-learn, some of the basics. It's easy to forget a few things given the preponderance of information and "how-to" articles one can find on the web. I think the amazing thing is how sometimes these little tidbits come to us at the exact moment we need them to. When that happens, we need to take them under advisement. 

Cold or not, I've got to take my poor dog for a short walk. I won't be able to settle down to the WIP until I do. The bracing air will do us both a lot of good and I'll certainly appreciate a quietly sleeping dog as I get on with my day. 

  _*_*_*_*_*_*_

 KC Kendricks


Social media links:
Life through the eyes of my black Lab, Greenbrier Smokey Deuce: deucesday.blogspot.com
My country life at Holly Tree Manor: hollytreemanor.blogspot.com
Snips and clips on my YouTube channel: KC Kendricks Between the Keys


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