Another treat we have today is being able to participate in the book tour for Falling for Chloe by D. Stearman. I completely agree with his thoughts. It’s something I need to remember in my own writing because I’m a perfectionist and I want everything to be flawless.

Please welcome, Mr. Stearman!

Writing Authentically

Someone suggested the other day that I refrain from starting Facebook messages with “Hey,” implying that it was impolite. After much research online and elsewhere, I learned that it’s not. It’s just informal. And I’m an informal guy, so for me, it’s also authentic. Which is a good thing, at least in my book.

How does this relate to writing? Well, I’m a contemporary novelist. I write stories about the here and now. If you write period pieces, what I’m about to share might not relate help you. But if you spin stories about the here and now, it could be vital.

You see, I used to have this problem: I tried too hard to write like a writer, or at least how I thought a writer should write. My grammar was perfect; no run-on sentences, dangling participles, mixed metaphors, etc. And yet I wasn’t engaging my readers. And why was that? Because my grammar was too perfect; no run-on sentences, dangling participles, mixed metaphors…get my drift?

In other words, my writing wasn’t authentic. My everyday speech doesn’t consist of complete paragraphs delivered in textbook grammar. I talk the way I talk. (Yeah, I said it that way on purpose, because that’s the way I express myself in real life.)

So I quit striving for dictatorial perfection and began focusing on the story. And my writing improved. Drastically. Nowadays some readers tell me they can’t put my books down, that they read them straight through, sometimes over a single weekend.

Now believe me, I’m not a fabulous novelist. Many of you could write me into a ditch. But if my voice is anything, it’s genuine, and I think that helps cover more than a few of my weaknesses.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a firm believer in good technique. POV, active sentences, all of that. But, honestly, I don’t think grammatical details matter all that much anymore, at least in contemporary pieces. After all, people don’t buy our books to refresh their sixth-grade English class. They buy them to be engaged. Entertained. Carried away. And focusing on those things, rather than mechanics, helps us get them there.

About D. Stearman:

I’m a professional songwriter/recording artist-turned novelist, who likes to write adventures set in exotic locales. I have a special love for the tropics–jungles and beaches–that’s reflected in both my stories and personal life. (In the form of hobbies like breeding parrots, growing orchids, and keeping saltwater reef aquariums.)

I travel widely and strive to write about the places I visit in a way that will make readers feel they’ve been there too. I’ve always seen this world as a place of wonder, surpassed only by the people who inhabit it and it’s divine Creator.

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Thanks again for joining us!

You can check out Falling for Chloe on either Amazon or Goodreads.

So my good fellows, once again, I completely agree with the message of authenticity. What’s one way you can be more authentic whether it’s in your writing, blogging, or personal life?

Tootle loo, darlings!