No, the tailspin that is my life hasn't died down yet, but it's starting to. Last night was also my first night "on my own." I mean, I have an aunt living just upstairs, but ... I'm now responsible for myself and everything.
Anywho, I'm here today for the Tales of Ever After blog tour again!
Today, I'm here to talk about my writing theme.
So, funny thing that happened after I had assigned this for myself on the blog schedule, but I was actually talking to a good friend of mine, who happened to be one of the submission judges for the Tales of Ever After collection. The submissions had all names removed, so it was a blind judging.
We were talking about the collection, and she'd admitted that she felt that the story was my best yet (she's read ... pretty much all of my books up to this point), which prompted a curiosity in my head. I knew that she'd known that I'd be entering a story, and I think she knew some of its premise, but I wanted to know how long it took her to realize that the story was mine.
"Half a page?" she answered.
And it was my writing she recognized, not the premise I'd previously shared with her. (And she hastily went on to assure me that her comments were based solely on the story's qualities, and not any attempts to sway the game in my favor. Which I had no worries over. The girl's a tough judge.)
This prompted further discussion into my writing style, with the other girls in the group chat who'd also read significant chunks of my writing. Because, apparently, I have a distinct, strong voice. Whimsical, apparently. Lighthearted on the surface but usually hiding something serious and deep. I think it's also the fact that I overuse dashes - they're pretty much my favorite punctuation. But I think they were trying to be nice and thus didn't bring it up. (Seriously, I think someone needs to take away my dashes at some point.)
But I do put in an effort to make sure that my writing and style is distinct. My goal is to write books that makes the reader laugh, and makes the reader think. I write escapist fiction that leaves the reader better equipped to face the real world when the book is over. I search for creative, high-concept plots, but I don't shy away from cliches if I see an angle that gives a unique perspective. And I have a Fairy Tale obsession that shows through in most of my books.
So, if you enjoyed Cinders, I'm fairly certain that you'll enjoy the rest of my writing, too. I mean, they're older works, so therefore not as good, but still fun, I promise!
But don't forget to check out the rest of the other lovely stories in the collection. I must say, I'm halfway through my own read, and I've as yet to find one I didn't like. And the ones I didn't love, I know there's a reader out there for them, somewhere.
What's your writing theme? Would you say that you've achieved your distinct voice yet?
Make sure that you visit and comment on all of the posts in the Tour of Ever After - the person who leaves the most comments will get a bonus collection of sneak-peek snippets from a number of the authors! (I am in the process of fixing the broken links. My blog isn't being nice to me about them)
Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Ever-After-Fellowship-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07FFMHM8M/
Books2Read Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/u/bwYKry
Goodreads Listing: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40788623-tales-of-ever-after
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(All books are paperbacks, and possibly signed.)
International:
(All books are ebooks of the winner’s file format of choice)
Shake hands with a fellow "dasher," LOL. I've noticed an excess of dashes in my own writing, especially in dialog (it looks more natural than parentheses or commas, and denotes a slight pause or stutter for my more nervous Characters). Not sure about my "writing theme" or "voice," exaactly--sort of a mix of slightly old-fashioned/"noble" speech and vintage slang, with a dash of humor. And I try to vary the narrative voice for different characters--for instance, Anton's narrative voice has more tongue-in-cheek humor and sly wit than, say, Isabella's or Prince Nácil's.
ReplyDeleteIt must be encouraging to know your writing is becoming recognizable, even when people don't know it's yours at first, and that you're improving. While I haven't read as many of your books as others, I've noticed a distinct improvement between the Bookania Quests, The Ankulen, and The Rizkaland Legends. Each one gets deeper and more detailed, the characters more fleshed out. Keep up the good work, Kendra! ^.^
I also suffer from an excess of dashes at times, but I think I've also tried to curb your use a little in beta-ing.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. I agree that you do have a very distinct writing style. That said, LDTD and Worth are still the best. :D
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