Be true to yourself

The publishing industry goes through trends.  Some people try to buck them, others try to set their own trends.  And still others try to use the trends to their advantage by writing within them.  But that isn't always the best idea in writing.


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Writing for Others vs. Writing for Yourself

As a freelance writer, I've gotten some odd requests for articles from clients.  I've written articles on mangosteen, grappling shorts, and even the history of chandeliers.

And one of the things I've learned is that freelance writing sometimes means setting aside my own writing style to fit the clients' needs.  It's not that I abandon my style, but when you're writing for someone else (especially ghost writing), you have to let the other person's style be the one that shows in the article.

This has been an adjustment for me, and one that I'm still working on as I write for clients, especially if I go from writing fiction to working on freelance projects.  Who I am tends to peek through, so then I have to go back and edit me out.

Writing for yourself is a different experience than writing for others.  In writing for yourself (and by this, I mean writing your own pieces such as fiction), you're expected to have your own "voice," a distinct writing style.

When you write for yourself, you're putting yourself on the page more than you do in freelance writing.  I think that's why I spend so much more time agonizing over word choice when I write fiction.  In writing fiction, every word choice is a reflection of me, and my writing style.  So it's far more important for me to make sure I give the right reflection of myself in my writing.

I think that's why I haven't been working on fiction lately.  I've been so concentrated on writing for others that I'm lost in them instead of sharing myself through my own writing.  

So I think I'm going to pick up the coffee house book again and let myself shine through on the page.