Show Me Your Novel and I'll Show You Mine

Do tell us what you're writing about - i.e. your current work in progress. If you have a finished book and a cover to share, please do that on the "Our Published Novels" thread, even if it isn't a novel! (Please, no jpegs here.)

Thanks!

Tags: novel

15 members like this

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robert Edward Fahey on November 23, 2010 at 4:11am

I've written things that readers have thought were written by a little girl.
However men and women TEND to use language can be conquered.
Don't give up on yourselves. Slide up and down all the spectrums you want to, but writing as an art form is open-ended exploration. Don't shut any doors on yourself you don't have to.
And who says you can only have ONE writing style?

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Haley on November 23, 2010 at 3:28pm

Sakina wrote:
"I honestly think that while my writing styles are different, depending on the forum, you can almost always tell I'm a woman."

I'm trying to remember if I ever paused to think about or care whether the author was a man or a woman, and wonder how many readers do.

It's only crossed my mind when reading romances -- and only once or twice, when I found myself feeling that the male/female author did a good/terrible job at presenting a character of the opposite sex from him/herself.

Permalink Reply by Sakina Murdock on November 23, 2010 at 11:09pm

Can't find the reply button!
Carolyn wrote:
"I'm trying to remember if I ever paused to think about or care whether the author was a man or a woman, and wonder how many readers do."

I don't think I do, either, as a rule except where you've mentioned and also recently reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; in the first letter, I thought the Captain was a woman until I got to the end of the letter, even despite the adventure he was undertaking. Something about the language I thought, but on the other hand it might have been just been that I was influenced by the fact there was a woman writing it and I had some preconceived idea.

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Haley on November 23, 2010 at 12:06pm

Sakina, you sound very determined to accept the limitation you're describing. Just write the book as best you can then shop it around in a professional manner. A good story trumps everything. And pseudonyms are a time-honored tradition for both men and women.

Permalink Reply by Sakina Murdock on November 23, 2010 at 1:46pm

Ah, thanks for the advice, Carolyn (and Bob, as ever). I see what you are saying, though I didn't see it as a limitation until you said. I meant that I don't see the point of pretending to be a man when you aren't - I assumed that it shows in the writing as it does in mine, but I guess everyone is different!
Bob... I honestly think that while my writing styles are different, depending on the forum, you can almost always tell I'm a woman.
I hope a good story DOES trump everything. I need all the help I can get!

Permalink Reply by Brenda Kezar on November 23, 2010 at 4:29pm

The reply button wasn't showing for your other post, RE: reply to "depending on the forum, you can almost always tell I'm a woman" so I had to reply here, lol.

I never pay attention to the writer's gender either, when I'm reading something. As long as the writing is good, I usually don't care. And as far as writing, I don't think people can generally tell my gender from my writing (except in informal forums; I think women tend to use "lol" more than men). But most of my protags end up being male, and I think my writing style is more male than female.

Permalink Reply by Robert Edward Fahey on November 23, 2010 at 3:46am

What I'm saying is, write what you want to without digging up any more outs than life will throw at you anyway. If we all let the woes of the publishing industry flag us for all the ways we could fail, we would never get that first book out.
What I'm saying is "write."

Does anyone know which famous author said something to the effect of "Amateur writers want to be writers; Writers just want to write."?

What I'm saying is; Write.

Permalink Reply by Chandra Hoffman on November 23, 2010 at 11:55pm

I don't know who said that, but I completely agree. It is its own answer.

Permalink Reply by Melissa McNallan on November 24, 2010 at 6:32am

Crazy thing happened to me while working on my novel -- for my own privacy and sanity I will not divulge all details - only that while I was sitting in the coffee shop, innocently drinking my mint white mocha, I realized that God has a more sick and twisted sense of humor, is more sardonic and dark than I could ever be and so it's okay if I go to those rough, raw places and write the truth as I know it rather than as it is (why I write fiction my dear). What I am trying to say, is be sick, twisted, let me think that you are the most messed up person in the world for having written the words you have, and I will call you sister. I wish I could recall Emilia's words in Othello exactly at the moment, "Have we not our taste for sweet and sour same as men do" -- so not exact it's pitiful.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Preston on November 24, 2010 at 8:30am

Melissa,

You just mesmerized me with your call to the sick and twisted. Beautiful, just flippin' beautiful.

Permalink Reply by Melissa McNallan on November 24, 2010 at 9:48am

Awwww... Thanks to both of you Lisa and Sussan :)

Permalink Reply by Chandra Hoffman on November 22, 2010 at 3:09pm

Hey novelists...

I am trying something new with my blog, which was created last summer for the purpose of launching my debut novel, "Chosen" in August. I've just turned my second novel manuscript in and while I'm in the waiting room, I'm itching to try something new and creative so...

I am repurposing my blog with the hope of shining a light on the voices of fellow writers. I'm inspired by Sarah Pekkanen's recent article in PW, my guest blog opportunity on Meg Waite Clayton's First Books, and what our own Rebecca Rasmussen has done with the Bird Sisters.

You can read about my three weekly segments here:

http://chandrahoffman.squarespace.com/blog/2010/11/22/preview-of-co...

But here's the important one: WEDNESDAY WRITERS. (I am silly for alliteration.) Each Wednesday I am posting a guest blog/essay/profile of a new writer. You can use it to recycle a favorite essay, promote your own blog or novel, or just reach out to a new audience.

If you want to be a part of this, email me through SheWrites or: chandrahoffman @ mac. com.

Thanks!
Chandra