My husband and I were at a wine and harvest festival on Sunday. The weather was terrific, cool enough to wear jeans but warm enough for my “Good Girl Gone Bad” T-shirt. We ran into my step-niece and chatted for about an hour. And for the 2nd festival in this place in a year, a local blues band was playing. I’m the one who loves blues in the family, but my husband liked this band too. (Their “Minnie the Moocher” was awesome.) Besides two guitarists and a drummer, they had a saxophone player and a harmonica player that were both smoking. 
We’d only sat through a few songs when they said they were going to do one more and pack up. The audience protested loudly. People started making trips to the tip jar to convince them to stay. One woman went up twice. Then the saxophonist announced they’d take requests. The woman who tipped twice called out, “Jimmy Buffett”.
I like Jimmy Buffett. But, people, this was a blues band. So I was definitely one of the people who moaned my protest.
And the saxophonist said, “She who tips gets the song choice.”
So there it was. (We had tipped, but only once.) The band played “Margaritaville”, with the great saxophonist and the great harmonica and everything else. It was okay, but the tone wasn’t right for this song. If you’ve watched American Idol, you know most people are better with certain kinds of songs than others. Put another way, can you imagine Robert De Niro taking over a Woody Allen role?
It’s the same with books, especially for writers with a distinctive voice and style. I love reading humorous romances, and I’ve tried writing them. My voice almost worked. I was like the band. Adequate, hitting all the notes, but the instrument wasn’t right for the subgenre.
In my “books that I’ll never send anywhere”, I have one with a beginning I love. I realize now it’s because the beginning is more of a women’s fiction tone. It suits my voice. The chapters that follow veer into romantic comedy. I can write humor, but very light plots don’t fit my voice. Neither do very dark plots.
Has this happened to you? Have you written a book or started one that turned out to be wrong for your voice?
I wrote a contemporary book once that I never finished, but that might have been personal circumstances at the time (very small baby) rather than voice clash.
Twice. You would’ve thought I had learned my lesson the first time after trashing 15 pages. Although I like humor, small doses and poking fun are about as far as it goes. I only did it because some idiot thought I should give it a try. Well, I must’ve been twice the idiot because I listened.
I shifted from dark fantasy to paranormal romance with one ms. The verdict is still out because the ms is on submission. I have the feeling it’s the “black hole” ms because after six months I have yet to received a response. Go figure.
Michelle, I know the one you’re talking about. I think it started off really well, but the story kind of petered off. Maybe it was the baby. I felt like you lost your enthusiasm for it.
Marcia, you’re not an idiot even once for trying something new. You’re smart for recognizing it wasn’t right for you. I wrote three books before getting it. It’s how we learn. We get up, we fall, we get up again. Pretty soon we’re walking, and all of a sudden we realize we can run.
Good luck with the book that’s still out. I hear stories from writers who sold after their ms. had been with an editor so long they’d forgotten about it. Although I hope yours doesn’t take quite that long.
I tried a historical once. The results were not pretty.
E
Erica, that’s kind of comforting to know. I was thinking of you as I wrote this. You write successfully in so many genres. Your voice in The Roofer was different from your voice in Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven. (Or so it seemed to me.) You’re like the Meryl Streep of writers.
I am a *huge* Jimmy Buffett fan. I once wrote a book where the heroine was so into Buffett, she would think about his songs in regards to what was going on in the story at that moment. He has lots of songs, so it was pretty easy to do.
Margaritville isn’t exactly blues material, but I say a cross-genre Buffett tune is better than no Buffett at all.
Hi Edie:
Thank you. I like writing in totally different genres and I switch voices. I think I might be able to do a historical now (I am writing one with a parallel contemporary YA couple and an historical couple from the 12th century) . . . but back then, when I tried it, I was 22, and I heard historicals (way back then) were a way to break into writing . . .(romances). But my heart wasn’t really into the research. I loved the characters. So I realized I was a far more character-driven writer. Anyway, it just wasn’t a fit back then.
E
Love the analogy, Edie! And I so get what you’re saying. Before I found my niche, I tried my hand at category romance and it was a disaster. On all levels. Once I found my voice, I’ve never looked back. I love reading historical, and suspense novels but know I’d never be able to write them. They belong to someone else’s “song” like the blues guys. And for the record, I LOVE the blues. We went to a few blues nightclubs in the French Quarter years ago, and I was in heaven.
Jennifer, the reason Margaritaville is so good because it’s the essence of Jimmy Buffett. If it’s sung with a different voice, no matter how good musically, it’s just not the same fun, breezy song. It’s like a dog trying to be a cat.
In a scene I wrote yesterday, I have a protagonist reacting to Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson singing their “Because of You” duet. I paraphrased the lines so I could avoid the copyright thing.
Hey, I bet there are a lot of Jimmy Buffett online groups. That would be a great way to market your books. And maybe you can go to all their concerts and deduct it on your taxes for research.
Erica, I wrote a historical romance years ago too — and I did no research. lol It was so bad, I tossed it. Now I read historicals and have no desire to write them.
I’m reading The Reincarnationist right now, which has parrellel plots. I’m just at the beginning, but so far it’s great.
I read Jayne Ann Krentz’s latest paranormal yesterday. I also read her contemporaries and her historicals. Although she writes in different subgenres, her voice and the pacing are similar in all three. It works for her – I read Silver Master in one busy day – but I admire the way you change your voice.
LaDonna, you and I will have to go to a blues band together sometime.
I wrote a category book proposal with 3 other writers once. It was fun, and we even got a phone call R from an editor.
Like you, my voice isn’t category. It took me longer to know my voice than you. But now I think I’ve got it.
good blog today, Edie, it’s making me think. I write contemp suspense, para suspense, and historical suspense, all surrounded by a very passionate romance. I tried mom/chick lit once, and I actually liked it. It was pretty funny. Hmmm, I don’t think I would do well writing noir type books, and I know I would totally crash and burn if I wrote sci-fi.
Everything I was writing in the past wasn’t working until I got an R from Jessica Faust and she said, “No thank you, but actually this is perfect for category.” At first I was upset until I realized I was throwing in everything including the kitchen sink to make a story long enough for single title. Maybe someday, but right now the shortest length of category seems to be where I’m more comfortable.
Oh, yes, Edie, I’ve done this. Back in the day…I started trying to write short contemporaries for Silhouette. Just didn’t work for me at all. Diana Palmer, I am so not.
Karin, it sounds like “suspense” and “passion” are your home voice. The way JAK has the same voice through her 3 genres. I think you could do WF too – in your own way. You wouldn’t be a copy of anyone, that’s for sure.
Jill, I was doing the same thing! LOL But instead of shortening my book, I needed to deepen the emotions and tensions of my characters. I was lucky to have CPs who told me that my strength was writing about relationships.
Very cool that Jessica Faust took the time to tell you that.
Cynthia, back in the day there was hardly any option but historical romance and category. Thank God (or Goddess) that we have so many choices now.
I’m no Diana Palmer either. You made a wise decision.
I’ve done lots of experimenting, and some I have had to really wrestle the right voice out of. But I’ve never tried comedy. That’s got to be the hardest; I’m not sure I could do it!
Spy, if you do try it, let me know how it works. I’ve heard actors say the same thing about comedy. That its much harder than drama. We’ve been watching The Last Comic Standing, and sometimes the audience is roaring, and I’m at home reading something because the act bores me. It’s so subjective.
I’ve tried several times, Edie. I think I’ve told you before that I’ve tried my hand at historicals, categories and contemporaries. Paranormal is where my voice is and I’m gonna stick with it.
Liz, I think you’d have a good historical voice, but maybe it was the story that was the problem. You said paranormal is where your voice is, but maybe it’s where your heart is too.
Edie, I picked the right week to read your blog. I love Eric Clapton!
I agree and disagree with the theory of those who can switch up and write outside of their voice and those who can’t. I believe some writers can open themselves up to writing outside their own box. For instance, David Baldacci wrote a novel called “The Wishing Well” which was completely outside of his usual stuff. I don’t know how well it sold, but I enjoyed it.
I’m thinking that if we challenge ourselves, we remain sharp. And who knows, maybe some authors will find that by taking the road less traveled they’ll enter an entirely new and rewarding place.
Kath, I know there are writers like Erica Orloff who can change their voices for their books, like Meryl Streep is the actor. Other writers, like Jayne Ann Krentz, writes with the same voice in different genres. They both do great. We all have different journeys.
When I write, I challenge myself all the time. Stringing words together to form a coherent thought is something not everyone can do.
Oops! Dave Baldacci’s book is called “WISH YOU WELL.” Man, I need to get my eyes looked at. LOL
LOL You were close, Kath.