Writers Authenticity

                                                        Photo by Trent Szmolnik on Unsplash

There is an unwritten rule with writers in that we write authentically. By this I mean we write what we feel, we write what we know, and we do not lie to our readers. To be an authentic writer is magical. To hold a readers breath, to hold their mind in the palm of your hands, captivate them and transport them is a gift a great authentic writer holds.

As writers we are told a bunch of rules to write well. Starting at a technically correct grammatically standpoint to writing fiction is a big leap. While we strive to spell correct, punctuate correctly, and so forth unless the words also are authentic in meaning the writing will leave you flat.

My latest piece is The Lake of Bones

The definition of authentic is: of undisputed origin; genuine. Something that is true!

Many writers feel books come out in bursts. One season might be all thrillers selling, one might be all memoirs. Books seem to be published in clusters. All this or all that. Writers feel if they want to publish that they need to be what the readers right now are looking for and they loose who they truly are as a writer. I write fiction and if I tried to do a psychological thriller I assure you no one would read it. I want to be authentic. I want to give you genuine feelings and I have no idea how to do that other then in my poetry and my fiction. 

Writers can be authentic in the fact that they write what they know and do so to take you on an adventure. Writing flat will leave you never picking up that writer again. Writing BS will have you burning their books. Writing from a pure place in your heart with your emotions is difficult. A writer places themselves on the page and lets their heart produce the page you read. Writing like this is moving, it stirs something in you, when you read it you connect, you sit and read and say yes I understand. 


Writing authentically is writing what you know but it is writing the feelings, characters, story lines, you know. It is not a writer telling you how to feel but showing you how a character does feel. Writing is a test of merit. For all the people who say writing is not a real job I ask you to write me a short story. Do you now edit as you go? Judge the weight of all your words? Do you not worry that an adverb is not needed? Perhaps you need to change perspective and write in third person? Writing needs to come from a genuine place in the writers soul that leads you down a path you willingly follow and that you feel better for having been in.So fellow writers... Go write! Write authentically. Leave the BS out and pour your heart out on the page with ink or typing. Give readers a true story that will take them on an adventure, get them out of their head, and allow them to fall in love with your characters and writing the way you have.I have missed you all and you can find my writing on Coffee House Writers

xoxo
I hope you are living an authentic life. Write it out!
Your story teller/poet,
Debbie