In a new post, Roz Morris offers advice on not repeating yourself in your work, even when you write within the same genre. “No matter how much we stretch ourselves, our writing has distinguishing features we can’t get away from,” she says. “There’s our voice, our way with a story, our genre or lack of it.”
That’s handy when you want to describe your writing or the kind of books you write, but how can you keep your work from seeming repetitive? Of course, you can tell the same or similar stories over and over with different characters, but do you want to?
Some writers find that difference by diving into theme. Morris notes Woody Allen as a writer whose work is instantly recognizable as his, but who also finds rich variation in characters and situations. “Out of his curiosities of self-delusion, insecurity, ambition and love, he gives us Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Hannah And Her Sisters, Crimes And Misdemeanours, Magic In The Moonlight, Everybody Says I Love You,” she notes. “I’m in awe of his range. And his productivity. He writes so fast.”
Morris offers three tips to finding that sweet spot:
- Give your novel enough development time so you’re not using fallback situations or characters.
- Have a side project to take the pressure off a book that isn’t yet ready for intensive work.
- Don’t lock in an idea until you’ve really heard it click. That’s how to find the strong and distinctive truth in the idea. Let it tell you what it needs.
