Finding Your Voice
Voice is the distinct personality, style or point of view created by a piece of writing. Writing faithfully to your voice is writing with emotion, with your feelings, passions and dislikes, beliefs, dreams, wishes, fears, and attitudes. The reader wants that connection: she wants to feel what the character feels, to see through his eyes. Only your voice will be able to give her that. Good writing is a conversation with your reader. You sneak into her mind because you want to answer her questions, help her want to continue this conversation. A strong voice uses the reader’s language, uses the phrases the reader recognizes and understands. No jargon. No complex words if a simpler one will suffice.
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Restrictions
When I lived and taught in the UAE for three months I dealt with being told what to wear, what to say, how to conduct myself in public and also to use insha Allah which literally translates as if god wills it but can be interpreted to mean I will do my best and in the case of the administrators in my school, don’t count on it. Deadlines were essentially a western idea. When we handed our passports over to Mubarek who spent his days not getting us things, there was no firm answer to the question, “When do you return my passport?”
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How to Access Creativity During a Quarantine
Be absolutely accepting of everything. Don’t think that if you can’t work on your novel, business plan, budget, or taxes there is something wrong with you. Remember the last time you were unemployed? Did you learn a new language, yoga poses, sign language, how to make beef Wellington? No. You played Words with Friends, you watched videos of cats slapping dogs, you stared into space and then since there was a mirror in front of you decided to cut your own bangs. Don’t do that. Leave your hair alone. And don’t paint a room or varnish anything. Put down that credit card and cancel the cart full of stretchy, New Age, muted outfits. Walk outside. Get your heart beating harder—if you can’t go outside, access your stairwell and do some flights, anything to get your blood moving, your brain suffused with energy.
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