Down an alley inside a bookstore, I felt like Harry Potter, if Harry Potter was in the USA, and if Harry Potter was tempting fate to go into this bookstore by not putting money in the parking meter. Not exactly like Harry Potter, I suppose. It was a narrow alley, is my point...
Right there, you have a couple versions of me walking down a somewhat narrow alley on the way to a bookstore. And I would say each one has some merits and some drawbacks to it. One has a lot of words and lets you know that while I’m telling you a story in a contemporary setting, I’m also evoking Diagon Alley from the beloved franchise.
The other one? Not as many words and right to the point.
I’m in an alley.
Now what? Which one do you like? Me? I like the first one for some uses, and the other one for other uses. And that, right there, is thirty seconds of what it’s like to be in my head most of the day.
It's not that I’m not paying attention to whatever else I’m doing. It’s that I’m trying to figure out something for something I’m working on. Always. Even when we’re just hanging out. Right now, for example, I’m writing and rewriting the first 12 pages of this thing that’s super cool, super fun, and just for me, for right now. I’m loving figuring out how to be economical, and powerful with description in my screenplay. Because your voice as a writer isn’t just the dialogue or the story, it’s how you tell it. And lots and lots and lots of books and classes about screenwriting have lots and lots and lots of rules for writing. There’s talk of screenplays being a blueprint, not a piece of literature. That’s a big vote for—
“It was a narrow alley.”
And if you follow every one of those rules, you will absolutely be guaranteed to write a script that is a lot like other scripts that have been written. Know what you won’t have? Something in your voice.
So, let’s talk about the concept of “voice.” Because this isn’t a Substack that gives you specific writing advice. It’s a Substack about what the life of a writer looks like. And if you challenge a writer to tell you what their “voice” is, you will get a lot of different answers. And you will get a lot of stalling. Here, let’s ask this writer I know.
Hey, Peter, what’s your voice?
Um, dunno. Give me a minute. I would say… (stalling for time, maybe clearing throat) that my voice is… easy, and direct. And that direct part can be taken as biting sometimes because it’s saying something others wouldn’t. Like the time I went on twitter and celebrated Obama as a “halfie” like I am. True. We’re both bi-racial. Folks didn’t really know how to take that. Or the voice is dry, funny and teasing, depending on the audience. For example, there’s this person at work who I’ve named my sworn enemy. I’ve said in meetings that you can only rise to the top by having a super-villain who is aligned against you. I’ve chosen this person and they’re having fun playing the part when we bring it up. Most laugh along, but I’m sure some don’t.
And I’ve written before about how when I was a younger writer, I was sure in a hurry to show you how clever and smart I was on every single line. That writer would be campaigning hard for the Diagon alley version of being in an alley. And they’d be defensive about it. “See, what I’m doing is playing with the elasticity of place. First you think you’re back in Harry Potter world, then the parking meter reference says you aren’t.” Shhh, young Peter. Shhh. You’re just in an alley. It’s cool. Don’t make a big deal about it.
Be simple. My voice, I say, after the stalling and throat clearing, is easy and direct. Or it aims to be. What do others think my voice is? I’ve asked a couple of experts. Here’s what I found out.
“Wry. Rhythmically down to earth and grounded, both on purpose.”
“Witty/darkly funny”
“Straightforward”
“Honest”
“No bullshit”
“Radical and accessible”
“a warm sense of humor with an edgy little bite of teasing and/or truth”
Well. That sure sounds good. I mean, thanks Mom and Dad, right? I’m kidding. I didn’t ask them.
What’s your voice? If you had to quantify it? What would you say it is?
And here’s the biggest secret of all, at least to me.
Don’t. Don’t quantify it. Because the only way to get it, is by ….
Writing. And then more writing. Writing and revision. Take risks. See how they feel in your gut. And over time, with repetition you will notice things you like, and things you don’t like. And then you are on your way to having a voice. You just have to do it.
When you read about, “How to develop your voice,” in books and in workshop, I feel like it has the same arc as when I just asked myself the question. You can have a teacher or someone else you trust talk about act breaks, or protagonist arcs, or how many beats you need to have in act two with such authority and confidence. And then when they get to “Voice,” everything slows down for a while. Because it’s hard to talk about in black and white with rules like the other mechanical parts of writing.
You earn your voice by using it, and seeing what works. And then using it some more.
Here's one example of a script I wrote a year ago. On the next to last page, there are two characters that have driven to this specific spot in Los Angeles. One of them is a fifteen year old boy. And I got to the moment where the truck pulls up to this spot and these two characters are going to have a big moment. Here’s what I wrote.
“Young J comes from behind the truck, sees what David sees – “
And then, rather than describe it, I just dropped a picture into the script. I had one of a fourteen year old boy standing next to this specific place. So, I just put it in.
You’re not supposed to do that, right? And then after that image, I wrote this:
“We’re not supposed to put pictures into a script, but – wow, right?”
And I turned it in, and one of the interns at headquarters said, “You’re not supposed to do that, right? You’ll take that out, after the producers read it, right?” And I said, “Maybe. It felt kind of fun and cool to do. Let’s see what they say. And they loved it. And so did the studio and the network, so far.
Voice. My voice is still becoming my voice because I want to keep getting more and more myself on the page as I figure out a clear way to share with you what’s in my head.
Have an absolutely amazing day and weekend. If you enjoy these, tell one other person, please. Word of mouth is still the best way to grow things. And we are still growing. Got a nice big bunch of readers for last week’s post and more subscribers, too. The next little bit is for subscribers only —
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