In a post on Lit Hub, Anna DeForest discusses writing with an honest and authentic voice. “The writing I admire and aim to produce works in a language that is entirely without artifice,” she writes. “This means, to be direct, short blunt words without flourish, minimal description, limited internality, and a lot of direct observation of the external world.”
That’s one way to do it.
More interesting is DeForest’s mention of the Sackheim-Gur test, a self-assessment that measures a person’s tendency towards self-deception. Comprised of 20 questions, the test asks questions about subjects most people would consider taboo or off-limits. For example:
- Have you ever hated your parents?
- Have you ever enjoyed your bowel movements?
- Have you ever been uncertain as to whether or not you were a homosexual?
Did those questions make you uncomfortable? If someone asked one in public, would you decline to answer or become evasive? While those specific questions may not be relevant to your writing, an authentic voice requires honesty in response to tough questions. Humans are complicated. We can hate someone we are supposed to love. We can become aroused by something others would consider unappealing. We question ourselves and sometimes may not like the answers.
Here’s the questionnaire. These questions might not trigger anything for your writing, but challenge yourself to craft and answer similar questions about yourself and your characters. The more uncomfortable you feel, the closer you are to uncovering an authentic human experience.
