Your writing voice is what makes you naked but also very
authentic. In fact, you can’t write authentically without being open
to the reader. And being open to the reader, you are ‘naked’ in a
sense with the reader.
Why are writers worried about being naked with the reader? It is
worse to be clothed and inauthentic then naked and open, isn’t it?
And one other thing, if you as a writer are not naked to the reader,
everyone will probably know that you are faking it. And how awful
is that!
I have always practised openness and honesty in my writing. In
fact, I am usually brutally honest in my writing. I make sure that
my voice isn’t forced and that I am authentic in my writing.
When I am in my writing studio, I have to tell the truth as I know
it. I have to bear my soul and expose the good and the bad. I try not
to protect myself with false fronts, false selves, and officially
sanctioned book material. My work is to reveal what is not easily
seen. Yes, I feel naked. But this is why I love writing. It is a ‘space’
in which I could be completely naked without worrying too much
because I am supposed to be honest in order to write well.
There are a lot of swimsuit shower writers in the writing world.
These are writers who write inauthentically and who try to hide the
obvious, making their voice sterile and inauthentic. I think that
writers who write this way should stop writing and do something
else with their time.
I once knew a writer who kept all of his writing to himself. He
didn’t want to share his writing with anyone lest they judge him
wrongly. He was so paranoid about not wanting anyone else to
know his true self that he never sent out any of his material to
publishers. He just kept his writing to himself and still does as far
as I know.
I decided early on that I would not be a secretive writer. I decided
that I would write openly and honestly and I would let the chips
fall where they will. And I still do that. I don’t mind sharing my
work with anyone because I feel that I have nothing to hide.
What kind of writer are you?
Irene
My blog will have two purposes. First, it is designed for writers as a reflection on the process of writing. Second, it is to write reviews of the children's books that I read.
