Tag: Novella

Is it possible for a dinosaur of technology to help define your writer’s voice? I say yes and say it with gusto!

First, I admit I’m old-fashioned in many areas of my life but there is one dinosaur in my writer’s toolbox that I use often on my writing journey—a tape recorder. While writing my first novella I recorded every chapter. Oh, the mistakes I discovered listening to those tapes. I would hate to see the total times I used my weasel word just per page. I also heard far too many sentences beginning with I.

The main reason I taped the chapters was to check if my writer’s voice was consistent. My books are set in Appalachia and a slip from my character’s voice and my writer’s voice are very evident. I plan to continue to use this device with each of my writing endeavors. I feel new writers in search of their voice will benefit greatly from this practice.

A lot of writers use digital voice recorders. These recorders are small enough for them to carry anywhere, allowing them to quickly record a thought, character name and profile, a plot point or location for a story. Now with smart phone apps, the digital recorder, I’ve been told, is threatened with extinction.

I have a digital voice recorder, and was recently given a smart phone, but my dinosaur-like recorder will continue to sit on my desk, ready for, if only in my mind, my next masterpiece.

“Technology presumes there’s just one right way to do things and there never is.”  Robert Pirzig

Do you have a favorite form of technology that you use to record your work? If so, please share in the comment section.