It isn't easy to write. I like to tell myself that it isn't easy to write. But writing is like trying to exercise in that the more you do it the easier it gets.
Stephen King talked about writing in his book "On Writing" and the desire to write. His book still inspires me. I like to read it when I want to procrastinate on my own writing. I love how it makes me feel that I am learning something and getting pointers from a master barb. Sure, he isn't Shakespeare, but he is the master of his craft. He is still popular after 44 years of writing.
What about voice? Would I love to write like King? I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't want to be like King. I read his books in private. I try to understand his formula for writing success. I understand his voice is what makes him successful. He tells stories the way he wants to tell stories. I am sure he is still edited like any other writer in the business, but he continues to find success, unlike most authors.
What about James Patterson? His voice is somewhat sophomoric when it comes to the way he writes. His sentences are simple but his stories sell. Patterson sells more books than Stephen King.
These two examples of writers have found their own voice. Patterson has other authors writing some of his books, so he is a different example of an author and his voice, but still a good example of an author writing in many genres.
A successful writer needs to find his or her own voice. Reading many authors will help you find hints at what might work and might not work, but the voice must still come from inside yourself.
I don't know when my own voice will take over and something good might come from the mind of this author, but it is nice to procrastinate and read the words of other successful writers and allow myself to dream big.
Thank you, Stephen King and James Patterson.
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