Be Original, Give Something of Yourself
While nothing is really new, it can be presented in original ways.
I’ve just read another article that seems to present familiar material in a familiar way. There was nothing of the author’s voice in it. It could well have been a rewrite of another writer’s work. It’s not enough to say, I’ve rewritten this in my own words. That’s what we did at school. We need to approach our topic in a new way, giving the reader something new to think about.
I’m guilty of this myself, but trying to avoid it. Last night I wrote an article that I’ve chosen not to publish. It was a topic dear to me, but I was tired, and tried to just reproduce information read elsewhere. It just didn’t work. I didn’t want to waste the time and effort put in, so I filed it to think about.
This morning I realised how I need to treat that topic, in quite a different approach. I was coming at it from the wrong angle. I’m now looking forward to rewriting the article. The information will still be there, but hopefully it will be more than that. It will hold something of myself as well.
Isn’t that what writing is about, giving of yourself, developing your personal voice? Anyone an reproduce facts, but knowing how to present them in a new and informative way is a skill. It takes time. Like many online writers, I’ve focused on simply writing, on choosing titles, on using keywords, on getting readers. Now I’m ready to take the next step, making my writing something that only I could have written.
This is not as easy as it seems, especially if, as was the case last night, you’ve just read something that inspires you enough to want to share it. I ended up writing in a style I didn’t enjoy. I became frustrated that it wasn’t working. And of course, I realised. if I didn’t like it, who else would.
I wasted a lot of energy, but hopefully it wasn’t for nothing. When I get time, I hope to rewrite that article. Hopefully I will deal with it in my own way, bringing something new to it, something that comes from within me.
I admire those writers who constantly submit content written in a fresh original style. There are many whose work inspires me. I think it is a challenge to all the rest of us, to think about why we’re writing. We need to look at ourselves, and put our own stamp on our work. We should aim to give something of ourselves to others, and therefore make our writing more enjoyable for both us and our readers.
So, my focus for my next writing phase is to give something of myself as I write. We all need to show originality in our work.
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Tags: be original, originality, personal voice, Writing
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January 11th, 2010 at 3:08 am
Well written. And you’re right–your writing should say something about you and be self-evidently yours.
Keep writing!
Inna
January 11th, 2010 at 3:12 am
I agree with your opinion..”Be Original”
January 11th, 2010 at 3:41 am
I do agree with you.I write so many poems which I put on the back burner because they are not really me, but if I go back to them and tweek them often enough I can usually put my stamp on them. Good advice here.
Christine
January 11th, 2010 at 4:01 am
Well said! I agree with you absolutely. I have had the opposite problem once or twice. I am used to writing a blog that is in my ‘voice’ and readers are used to my style and my humour. When writing for triond one of the pleasures is reaching readers from many different countries and backgrounds. However humour and irony are not always understood by readers who are not used to my style or who come from a very different background.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:54 am
I strongly agree with you. I like to put a touch of myself into my writing.
January 11th, 2010 at 4:57 am
Good point made! Rewriting again and again makes 100’s of copies, doing little helps to web surfers.
January 11th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Wonderful article
January 11th, 2010 at 5:30 am
thanks for that – I whole heartedly agree, a personal voice really leaps out to the reader and gives the article extra impact and meaning!
January 11th, 2010 at 7:15 am
You are right on that one. This is why many writers at the end might accuse each other of plagianism, while we all just want tot say the same. But when you do not have the right words …
January 11th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Agree with you, Val.
That’s the reason why I only write poems and short stories, because that will be my original work, saying out from my heart. If I want to have some quick ones, I will write Haiku. I did share with Triond friends some jokes and riddles which I have heard from elsewhere, but I tried to modify them a little, so that there will be some personal touch. I can’t write any health, technical, historical etc types of articles yet, because I have to do a lot of research and rewrite them in my own stye which at this point of time I have not reached to that standard yet.
Also, if I am out of resources, I will take a break and read/comment on others’ work instead, from there I also pick up a lot of tips in writing, but definitely not copying their style, no way…
January 11th, 2010 at 7:33 am
I agree. I’ve wasted a lot of time, paper and ink drafting material that I couldn’t personalize so it got junked. Too much of the “I”, “me” and “myself” can get tedious, however.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
There is a fine line of giving an article your own voice and forcing your views onto others…you don’t want to come across as arrogant. Great write as usual, Val.
January 11th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
That is so true! when I write poems, I write what’s in my heart. I show people the real me and my emotions. It helps them connect with me too
January 11th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I also enjoy originality. So many writers and poets here in Triond inspire me and I thank all of you for that.
January 11th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
I couldn’t agree more, Val.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Great article! I had exactly the same experience a couple of days ago. I still approach much of my writing in the same way I wrote research papers in college. I gather material from all the sources I can find, take notes (much easier now that most of my research comes from online sources and I can cut and paste onto notepad. If I try to write before I am ready, I end up rewriting over and over and my husband thinks I am insane. (He is probably right!). What I need to do is to read my notes over and over, go back to the sources and reread them, until I have asssmilated the knowledge, and that’s when I can start writing and make it my own.
January 14th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
No truer words have been spoken or written. It is so difficult to be original; but the effort to try to be original must be made. Who knows. Lightning might strike. For example, this article. You’ve taken an old subject and personalized it. Well done.