Thoughtful Thursday: The monkey and the ventriloquist:

When is a ventriloquist the dummy?

If you handed a word processor to a bunch of monkees would they ape one another?

What does any of that have to do with writing?  Think about this advice from award-winning author Don Farinacci:

      The development of a style representative of one's identity as a writer is important for several reasons. First, it becomes the writer's signature or trademark.  Those who are attracted to his or her writing will find a comfort level in the familiarity of the writer's brand.  More importantly, a writer's unique style is a reflection of his personality.  For a person to write effectively he must stay true to who he is.  Attempts to parrot the styles of other authors will ring false because they will constitute a betrayal of self.  A writer's personality is the seat of his passion.  No matter how tempted one may be to ape, in whole or in part, the style of a successful writer---a Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Bellow or Updike---the price paid will be a steep diminution of the flow of passion from pen to page.  Why? Because the writer's passion, ideals or philosophy do not translate well when expressed in a false voice.  In fact, his voice is the genuine offspring of that writer's personality and character.  The words, phrases, cadences,rhythms and lyricism are in the writer's mind.  The author has selected them as the most honest way to express his thoughts and emotions. 

     Thus, questions such as ‘Is it a bad idea to use a lot of big words?’ or ‘How about I pepper the text with scholarly allusions?’ are meaningless in themselves.  I believe the answer has to be another question: 

‘Are the words or references consistent with the writer's own peculiar style and true to his or her personality?  Does using them work in the best way possible for bringing out that particular writer's unique voice?’

 The answer to the voice throwing monkey problem, then, is “Read others but, when you write, be yourself.”

 Comments?

 Don, thank you very much. See you in a week or so.

Jack London