I’ve had some inquiries in the Jerry McNeal Series group asking me to explain the writing voices. I figured others might also be curious, so I thought I’d try to explain. Try because, much like Jerry, I do not have all the answers.
I did not grow up thinking about becoming an author—to be honest, I did not do well in school, and it was never offered to me as a possibility. I enjoyed writing poetry (the rhyming kind), but the thought of writing more than a short story or greeting card never occurred to me. This is the precise reason why my journey to becoming an author continues to amaze me.
I began my writing career by promising to write a happy ending for a friend who was going through a hard time. Seriously, we didn’t even own a computer at the time, and I wrote everything by hand. All I was planning to do was write a short story to cheer my friend up, thinking we’d both have a laugh, and that would be the end. Fortunately for me, the universe had other plans.
I began writing what I thought to be a short story when the writing voices showed up, and the story took over.
As I wrote the story, it became clear it was going to be more than a few pages, so I did a little outline. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the writing voices jumping in and leading the way. The experience was a tad frustrating at first. Try as I might, the story kept veering away from “my” plot. When I say it took over, I mean it led a stampede- running far away from having anything to do with my friend or what was going on in her life.
Me being me, I went with it. I’m not sure when I realized I was writing a book, but I just knew the story was good, so I kept writing. I was working at the time and would take the story with me, writing every chance I got. I wrote at my desk, during my breaks, and on the couch at night, using a #2 pencil, lined writing paper, and a red clipboard. As the story progressed, it became clear I was writing a book. That is until the day I found out I wasn’t the one writing it. Here is where it gets a little hard to explain. I was sitting on the couch scribbling away when the writing voices showed up and I found out the characters knew something I didn’t. It stunned me that the story knew where it was going, even though I did not. I clearly recall being so frightened that I set the clipboard aside and started pacing the floor. The conversation went like this.
Hubby, “What’s wrong?”
Me, “I’m not writing the book.”
Hubby, “What do you mean you’re not writing the book? I’ve been watching you write it for weeks.”
Me. “I know, but I AM NOT THE ONE WRITING IT. I’m putting the words on paper, but someone or something is feeding me the information.”
At the time, I honestly think he thought I’d lost my mind. However, years later, he told me, “I understand what you meant when you said you didn’t write the book. You don’t talk this way or use words like this.”
I have never seen the writing voices. They do not talk to me out loud. Some might think the writing voices are just thoughts that come to mind. I honestly believe there is more to it as sometimes I only have to ask for help and the writing voices show up. I fully believe I have help when writing. There is more than one voice, each with different tones, depending on which manuscript I am working on. To this day, I continue to write as I go and am often greatly surprised when things are revealed to me. It is fascinating when some little insignificant thing I’d written several books back works its way into the book I’m working on and shows me the reason it was needed. Things like that can’t be a mere coincidence. For that reason, I will continue to give credit to the writing voices. I am but a vessel to carry their words and I am grateful they chose me.
Oh, and that short story I was working on to help cheer up my friend became my first novel, Tears of Betrayal. To this day, that not-so-little story continues to find its readers.
*Warning to my readers: this book is not a clean read. I always said if you are like my Mom, you will skip a page or two. If you are like my Aunt Barb, you’ll probably read them twice.
I did not grow up thinking about becoming an author—to be honest, I did not do well in school, and it was never offered to me as a possibility. I enjoyed writing poetry (the rhyming kind), but the thought of writing more than a short story or greeting card never occurred to me. This is the precise reason why my journey to becoming an author continues to amaze me.
I began my writing career by promising to write a happy ending for a friend who was going through a hard time. Seriously, we didn’t even own a computer at the time, and I wrote everything by hand. All I was planning to do was write a short story to cheer my friend up, thinking we’d both have a laugh, and that would be the end. Fortunately for me, the universe had other plans.
I began writing what I thought to be a short story when the writing voices showed up, and the story took over.
As I wrote the story, it became clear it was going to be more than a few pages, so I did a little outline. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the writing voices jumping in and leading the way. The experience was a tad frustrating at first. Try as I might, the story kept veering away from “my” plot. When I say it took over, I mean it led a stampede- running far away from having anything to do with my friend or what was going on in her life.
Me being me, I went with it. I’m not sure when I realized I was writing a book, but I just knew the story was good, so I kept writing. I was working at the time and would take the story with me, writing every chance I got. I wrote at my desk, during my breaks, and on the couch at night, using a #2 pencil, lined writing paper, and a red clipboard. As the story progressed, it became clear I was writing a book. That is until the day I found out I wasn’t the one writing it. Here is where it gets a little hard to explain. I was sitting on the couch scribbling away when the writing voices showed up and I found out the characters knew something I didn’t. It stunned me that the story knew where it was going, even though I did not. I clearly recall being so frightened that I set the clipboard aside and started pacing the floor. The conversation went like this.
Hubby, “What’s wrong?”
Me, “I’m not writing the book.”
Hubby, “What do you mean you’re not writing the book? I’ve been watching you write it for weeks.”
Me. “I know, but I AM NOT THE ONE WRITING IT. I’m putting the words on paper, but someone or something is feeding me the information.”
At the time, I honestly think he thought I’d lost my mind. However, years later, he told me, “I understand what you meant when you said you didn’t write the book. You don’t talk this way or use words like this.”
I have never seen the writing voices. They do not talk to me out loud. Some might think the writing voices are just thoughts that come to mind. I honestly believe there is more to it as sometimes I only have to ask for help and the writing voices show up. I fully believe I have help when writing. There is more than one voice, each with different tones, depending on which manuscript I am working on. To this day, I continue to write as I go and am often greatly surprised when things are revealed to me. It is fascinating when some little insignificant thing I’d written several books back works its way into the book I’m working on and shows me the reason it was needed. Things like that can’t be a mere coincidence. For that reason, I will continue to give credit to the writing voices. I am but a vessel to carry their words and I am grateful they chose me.
Oh, and that short story I was working on to help cheer up my friend became my first novel, Tears of Betrayal. To this day, that not-so-little story continues to find its readers.
*Warning to my readers: this book is not a clean read. I always said if you are like my Mom, you will skip a page or two. If you are like my Aunt Barb, you’ll probably read them twice.
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