Speak!

Too many writers are afraid to write uninhibited, with no pretenses or cares to what others may think. I think writing without the training wheels on helps develop your voice. When I was younger, I started out writing a diary, how more uninhibited can a person get? I was honest to who I was and how I was feeling. I wasn't thinking about what other’s may think of these views and ideas, only that I had to speak out what was bottled up inside.

Writing a story, characters act in the same way. All of your characters are sitting inside your head, pushing on the barriers of your mind, wanting to be let out. Trying to compartmentalize them and conform them into some type of template can hurt your writing. Many established writers and editors say to write your rough draft without stopping to edit. The story would be raw and maybe, not so well written at first, but the second time around things change. Your first draft is like a raw wound, it’s open, and untreated. Your second draft has some salve and dressing on it. You've switched out words and deleted words. You've taken out complete sentences and paragraphs and have been left with something that looks and sounds a bit better.

Your third draft and hopefully final draft reads a lot smoother and is the healed version of your story. Without the raw wound, you would have never been able to create such a compelling and tantalizing story. Don’t be afraid to write without the training wheels on.

Try out this writing prompt. Write a paragraph about something green. I want you to write the first thing that comes to you; don’t think too deeply about it. Just write. Then go back and reread and write a second paragraph using your raw one as a template. Then write it better the third time. Here are my examples.

Raw draft:

She was green around the edges. Her eyes glowed with it, her skin bubbled with it. She watched as he leaned in and kissed the girl who didn't deserve him. She must have reeked of it because they saw her and turned there noses up at her. She was indeed…jealous.

Second draft:

Elaine was green around the edges. Her eyes glowed with it. Her skin bubbled with it. She stared as he leaned in and kissed the girl who didn't deserve him. They spotted her and turned their noses up at her. She must have reeked of it…jealousy.

Final draft:

Elaine was green around the edges. Her eyes glowed with it. Her skin bubbled with it. She stared as he leaned in and kissed the girl who didn't deserve him. They spotted her and smiled tauntingly. She must have reeked of jealousy. 

The green I chose wasn't the physical green but the metaphor perspective,  green with envy. Don’t be shy to think outside the box. Speak and your voice will be heard!