Learn to Sound More Like Yourself
Find the story that only you can tell
Wake Up and Write is a regular advice column from Moms Don’t Have Time to Write. Today, we have Elizabeth Miki Brina — recipient of a Rona Jaffe–Bread Loaf Scholarship and the author of Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir — who shared writing advice on the podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, hosted by Zibby Owens.
“I still sort of consider myself an aspiring author so I could say what worked for me: it’s finding the story that only you can tell.”
“I think that we all have our own unique perspectives and contributions. What I did, and what a lot of new writers do, is focus on the stories they think that they should tell, what other people think is interesting and important. That doesn’t sustain you. That won’t keep you sitting in a chair, writing.
I always try to think: What am I constantly worrying about? What am I wondering about, obsessed about? What am I trying to figure out? That’s what drives me to finish.
I also try to write to myself as a reader. When I reread my own work, I think to myself, What comes next? What do I want to know next? What dark secret do I want myself to reveal?
I reread my sentences over and over again and try to think, What would I be proud to say? In that way, I learn to sound more like me.”
Listen to the episode:
Buy the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Okinawa-Elizabeth-Miki-Brina/dp/0525657347
