Done and Done
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
My freelance writing projects are finished for 2008. I wrapped up my piece for the December/January edition of Urban Times late last night.
Given that the word count was 800 words, I spent entirely too much time finishing my assignment, but I wanted to end the year on a good note. The last two have been the best for my professional career, and I also saw advancements in my personal writing. I’ve come to discover what I consider important in my writing, what some other writers refer to as voice.
Voice, as I’ve learned, is being comfortable with thoughts and order, and only shallow concern for the reader. I would estimnate it is as much about self-discovery as it is vision or style.
Voice is also not stagnant but rather constantly evolving and its central conceits are the same. In this way, it can be similar to someone’s soul or perceived character. What I think I know about it is significantly less than what I feel and can not put into words.
Every writer who stays with it long enough will step from the banks and into calf-deep water and get deeper and deeper, the more steps they take, the rocks beneath getting sharper, mossy and more unstable. Those are the wilds of the mind, then – the unpredictable where real discoveries are made. But who would have thought to find themselves in the dark water, holding their breath?
