sistermagpie (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sistermagpie) wrote2004-06-23 10:59 pm
sistermagpie) wrote2004-06-23 10:59 pm
Entry tags:
Writing and Singing
I just read the best little metaphor thingie in the New Yorker about writing. It's in the review of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation," by Lynne Truss. The review is by Louis Menand. It gets onto the subject of "voice" and talks about how many writers say they don't ever write anything they wouldn't say. But this is ridiculous, since everyone knows the difference between writing and speaking. So why is it unfunny people can be funny writers or neurotic people can sound wonderfully pleasant? He says
"What writers hear when they are trying to write is something more like singing than like speaking. Inside your head, you're yakking away to yourself all the time. Getting that voice down on paper is a depressing experience. When you write, you're trying to transpose what you're thinking into something that is less like an annoying drone and more like a piece of music. This writing voice is the voice that people are surprised not to encounter when they "meet the writer."
Isn't that true? There's nothing more awful than the clunkiness of just getting stuff down and trying to figure out how it's supposed to *sound* because you know when it's wrong. And there's no way you can really teach it--well, that is of course you can teach the basics so that someone can find it. It's like dancing, I guess. Yes, some people might be born or develop something unique that will give them an edge if they work at it, but everyone can learn to be competent enough so they can express themselves competently. Then it's up to the audience to decide whose self-expression they prefer.
But damn, it's frustrating when you feel like you're just all over the place. Still, isn't that a great way of describing it? And a perfect explanation for what people think they're going to get from an author and don't in person--it's like the difference between a singing voice and a speaking voice. That's what's always so exciting about a regular person starting to sing and turning out to have this incredible voice--not necessarily technically perfect, but a voice that fascinates you.
I guess, thought, that makes you wonder again about fanfic and whether you can find your own voice through it. Certainly different authors have voices--nobody can say that UL doesn't have a different voice than LUW. Perhaps the author's voice comes through more clearly there because the worldbuilding is done for them, for all I know. Like...I'm trying to think of a singing metaphor. Like maybe somebody is good singing with a choir or is great singing in the shower but onstage wouldn't be. Someone else is great both places. Or maybe it's like when you write fanfic you're singing a familiar song so people are already smiling and tapping along before they pay attention to the singer. I don't know. I guess finding the perfect metaphor isn't that important.
But I've always been kind of fascinated by the idea of writers who have voices you wouldn't expect--the unfunny person being funny in print being a great example. It's just...sitting down and writing a whole original story is both exciting and intimidating when you don't know what will come out. Most writers start out doing some form of imitation, of course. If it's not fanfic you're still probably going to be imitating your favorite writers just as a singer would want to sing like their favorite singer. But it's funny how you almost don't know what's going to come out until you open your mouth. You might try to write one thing and--what do you know? It turns out your wacky comedy is filled with longing and regret. Or your warm nostalgia piece is satirical. Maybe that's less likely to happen when you're dealing with established worlds and characters because you're more focused on what you're saying about them or what you want them to do rather than just what you have to say.
"What writers hear when they are trying to write is something more like singing than like speaking. Inside your head, you're yakking away to yourself all the time. Getting that voice down on paper is a depressing experience. When you write, you're trying to transpose what you're thinking into something that is less like an annoying drone and more like a piece of music. This writing voice is the voice that people are surprised not to encounter when they "meet the writer."
Isn't that true? There's nothing more awful than the clunkiness of just getting stuff down and trying to figure out how it's supposed to *sound* because you know when it's wrong. And there's no way you can really teach it--well, that is of course you can teach the basics so that someone can find it. It's like dancing, I guess. Yes, some people might be born or develop something unique that will give them an edge if they work at it, but everyone can learn to be competent enough so they can express themselves competently. Then it's up to the audience to decide whose self-expression they prefer.
But damn, it's frustrating when you feel like you're just all over the place. Still, isn't that a great way of describing it? And a perfect explanation for what people think they're going to get from an author and don't in person--it's like the difference between a singing voice and a speaking voice. That's what's always so exciting about a regular person starting to sing and turning out to have this incredible voice--not necessarily technically perfect, but a voice that fascinates you.
I guess, thought, that makes you wonder again about fanfic and whether you can find your own voice through it. Certainly different authors have voices--nobody can say that UL doesn't have a different voice than LUW. Perhaps the author's voice comes through more clearly there because the worldbuilding is done for them, for all I know. Like...I'm trying to think of a singing metaphor. Like maybe somebody is good singing with a choir or is great singing in the shower but onstage wouldn't be. Someone else is great both places. Or maybe it's like when you write fanfic you're singing a familiar song so people are already smiling and tapping along before they pay attention to the singer. I don't know. I guess finding the perfect metaphor isn't that important.
But I've always been kind of fascinated by the idea of writers who have voices you wouldn't expect--the unfunny person being funny in print being a great example. It's just...sitting down and writing a whole original story is both exciting and intimidating when you don't know what will come out. Most writers start out doing some form of imitation, of course. If it's not fanfic you're still probably going to be imitating your favorite writers just as a singer would want to sing like their favorite singer. But it's funny how you almost don't know what's going to come out until you open your mouth. You might try to write one thing and--what do you know? It turns out your wacky comedy is filled with longing and regret. Or your warm nostalgia piece is satirical. Maybe that's less likely to happen when you're dealing with established worlds and characters because you're more focused on what you're saying about them or what you want them to do rather than just what you have to say.
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