When I started the second draft of the novel Im currently working on, I was still under the influence of a good book I had previously read, and the writing came out accordingly, making me write a reeeaally good first chapter and then losing that specific voice I liked so much. I wasn't copying anything, I wrote with my own story with my own words, just got strongly inspired from the way that book was written. After that first chapter I never really managed to find that voice again, does that mean it's not mine and never can be? Or is there some way that I can find it again and use it for the rest of the draft for the (coming) third draft? Would it be "wrong" (I mean professionally) of me to even want it back? I really liked the way my mind worked and the words that came out of my fingers when writing that first part... I think if I managed to keep it for the entire novel it would be just the kind of novel I was imagining when starting it, but right now I can't make it sound like I Want it to. Is it just a case of studying the craft of that writer and try to break it down to its components? like, analyse it? Would the finished result still be considered 'mine' in the end?
Well, it would be yours if you're typing it, but I would think that focusing so heavily on one author is going to give you a pretty skewed voice. I don't know why you would want to do that I guess. We all have authors we admire, but if it's not natural for you I would A) keep reading/writing until it is (or it's at least close enough to make you happy or B) work harder to find MY natural voice, that's just mine and hope someday someone works as hard to try to sound like me.
I don't know if it was even her voice, I don't think so. Reading it just modified my own voice, and out came something I really liked.
Well that's different then, sorry I misunderstood I guess I would try to break down what it is that you like about it, what it is that you like about what you've written. If it's not her voice, you were simply inspired, there's no way it wouldn't be yours.
Did you burn that good book, or something? Can't you just read it again? Also, if your first chapter, when read, doesn't get you back into the voice you're trying to capture, then either a) it's not a voice you'll ever maintain, so you may not want to bother trying or b) it may not actually be how you hope and perceive it to be. Meaning, plenty of writers read the style/voice/tone/mood of work they're wanting to produce themselves, and most writers are able to settle back into the voice they're going for, even if it's not their natural default voice, by re-reading earlier parts of a draft. And sure, it'd be yours. Unless you're really, super good at mimicking something as intangible as another writers voice and style, it's yours. And if you were so good at that sort of mimicry, it wouldn't be copying, it would probably just be producing a high quality work. But really, if that first chapter doesn't settle you back into the same voice/style/whatever, then something's amiss.
I would say that if it stirred something in you that you just had to get out then I would say it was yours. As to how to get it back, there is nothing wrong with re-reading a book. I have done it for a couple of really good books. You may just be experiencing writers block which affected your writing. Try taking a break and read some other books. Just wandering, which book was it that your read?
I hope so. It was like a "Oh, now I've got it!"-feeling that I finally had found the way of writing I always had been looking for. I was high on that feeling for days after that, LOL.
LOL, no I haven't, I guess it is still here somewhere I haven't been trying actively to keep writing like that, I just fell into another style after a while and I haven't been re-reading it until just now, trying to find out why it doesn't come out like I want it to. I'll try and analyse both the first chapter AND the book itself to see if it is of any help. I guess I will have to re-read that book plenty of times from now, hihihi.
Well, you've learned a handy pro-tip: always start your writing sessions by re-reading from what you've already written.
That is a good pro-tip I thought it was the opposite; To avoid it, because you might be tempted to start making changes and seeing errors and start fixing them instead of keep writing, etc. But, of course, if you are happy with it it would definitely be helpful.
Now I just have to find the post where you said what to look for when analysing books you like...hm... *off to search in the old posts a few pages back*
I'd say that's more of a first draft thing, and you were on the second, right? Lol, can't be bothered to go back and check
I just finished reading through the entire story and it wasn't all bad, some (lots of) parts were actually quite ok, but there will still be at least one or two more drafts until I can consider it ok. Im starting to see the good effect on reading a lot while writing on this, because I wrote some really good parts of it while reading intensely for a couple of weeks. Before, I used to almost "forget" to read books while I was in a writing-mode, it was like I rather spent my free time writing than reading (something I think lots of people can relate to, when you have not so much free time you tend to prefer to do the things you feel the most about.) but now that i noticed the good effects on the writing i will keep reading during this phase too. Another thing I noticed what that the tone is changing a couple of times, depending on which part of the story im working with, is that normal? or is it still the influence of what I have read during that time, unconscious of the fact that it affects my writing?
