I learnt an awful lot at the Press Publish Conference in Portland on the weekend. I am going to share as much as I can with you over the next week. As usual these things will weave themselves in and out of the fabric of our farmy pages. Much like this post. (And first I would like to thank you for the incredible comments on the Portland Page. Those comments underline once again what a wonderful collective we are – a team of goodness and care. The Fellowship).
This morning though I need to answer a question that a girl asked of the Publishing Panel on Saturday afternoon at the Press Publish conference.
“How long did it take you to find your voice?” she asked the Panel. Her speaking voice was hesitant. She was a small woman, dove grey, lightly scented. I watched her, she had been taking big breaths to lead up to that question causing a flush in her face. She blinked slowly and swallowed as she handed back the microphone. I knew exactly what to say to her and drawing my own breath I turned for my own microphone but someone else already had it. And the editor speaker spoke and the lovely woman who was a merchant banker spoke and the published authors spoke and then I felt that maybe enough had been spoken. So I hesitated and the moment had gone. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the brightness of the panel. I dimmed and the girl slowly faded back against the wall and I watched her as the questions rolled on and I missed my chance.
I wished I had just taken the microphone and spoken. I had been intimidated and am now haunted by this girl. So here I am back with my own Fellowship Family. I know that this young woman will probably not be reading (though we have many new readers who I hope will introduce themselves in the Join Us page). But here is my answer anyway.
“You have already found your voice. Do not hesitate to use it. Each voice is individual and perfect for who you are and where you are now – to hide it and dress it up until it sounds like every other voice will never work. You have your voice already. You have not lost it and so you do not need to begin a journey to find it. You have the words and the rhythm and the sound track. It is already there changing and moving with your own breath. You just have to put your fingers on the keys and write this moment down.
Here is what I do to keep my writing honest – I write exactly how I speak. In fact I call it Writing Out Loud. I say the words in my head as I bash away at the keys. (It is exactly the opposite of reading when we do not say the words at all – we simply read.) Then, when the words are on the screen, I go back and edit out all the repeats and extraneous words. I fix the spelling and grammar. I chuck out at least half of what I have written. I move stuff about so it is simple and makes sense but that is all. Always reading the sentences aloud in my head. It is a bit like taking a picture then running it through Photo Shop to push the contrast and clarify the edges, bring the colour back in and add a bit of noise. But it is always the picture I took. Write. Your voice is there. Just write as you speak.”
I hope the girl will nod and smile and unbite her lips then lift her fingers and just write. 
Timatanga Moana and Tane Mahuta were making a lot of noise yesterday afternoon. They are not always beautiful are they. I should have got the tape recorder out for you but it is not a gentle sound by any means. Maybe tomorrow.
Interesting dates on the farm blackboard.
Good morning. Chickens take 21 days to hatch. Poppy will take 21 days to come back into heat. Poppy was possibly,( maybe, fingers crossed) bred on March 11. The eggs are in a safe place and should start hatching this weekend. And Poppy is showing no obvious signs of coming back into heat. Yet. I am hanging on Tenterhooks.
I hope you have a lovely day. I hope you use your voices.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “Did you Find Your Voice?”
Last first: what lovely legible handwriting you have!
Voice: like you, I read my poems aloud as I write them, and they are 90% in my own voice, though sometimes I have fun by writing as someone or something else. You emphasised the need for truth, both at the conference and here, and I agree entirely – except when writing fiction! I used to write a lot more fiction than I do now, when truth is usually more interesting and lively.
Those piggies ARE beautiful. They look like an old married couple.
Love,
ViV xox
I would find it very difficult to write anything that is not in my heart and the truth,,,,I am a crotchety old bird but I speak and I think and I say what I mean,,and mean what I say.
I would find it impossible if I had to think of every word that came out of my head…so like you it flows with my words..sometimes making no sense at all until I have fiddled with it.
It is a shame that you were not able to speak to this young person but may it is just possible that she might be one of your readers…but it was a good question…
Good morning, c. And good morning to the farmie. My voice has changed over the years, developed with age and experience, refined by everything that I read and learn. It alters with mood, by weather, with seasons. It’s like opinions. They change as I age. It’s like clothing. I wouldn’t wear now what I wore at 18, although that same sense of style is still engrained in who I am.
I love your advise on finding your voice. I hope the girl is reading! Have a great day! Cloudy, foggy, gray rainy day here in Arkansas!
I absolutely LOVE your answer and it rings with me because I have had several people say to me “you write exactly like you talk” so I guess I have found my voice! You just affirmed it. I love that you are going to share with us all that went on –what an exciting time for all of us to be able to share with you. Thank you! And thanks for the piggy pics. 🙂
I write the same way. From my brain, instead of turning right and out of my mouth, it goes left and out the ends of my fingers on the keyboard. I try to blog with my authentic voice. Those piggies, Celi! I think Miss Timatanga Moana must be very beautiful for a kunekune, if Tane is a standard example. He’s definitely the rugged type, but she has Disney length eyelashes, pert fluffy ears and beautiful colouring. Perhaps they are discovering the joys of adolescent hormones together… Autumn is on the way down here. It was below 30C today for the first time since spring, all day! And we’ve had some wonderful rain, and I’ve pruned the palms and the fruit trees. Bring on the winter!
And here we are over here in the Northern Hemisphere hollering……’Bring on the Spring!!!!” 🙂
The turning of the seasons is always a HUGE relief! We are very much looking forward to spring…Yay for you that you want winter.!
amen to that….happiness is having cold feet 🙂
A morning visit to the farmy always lifts my spirits. I haven’t quite found my voice. I try but I am shy and think of judgement and negative reaction. I blog, it took almost three years to finally publish. I don’t tell people I know like friends and family about it, only about 5 people I know closely know about it. A few times I almost quit, thinking who wants to hear this, it doesn’t matter. I keep doing it because I like it and it is for my daughter. So I blog quietly and if someone finds me and follows it is because they want to not because they are obligated or nosey. Maybe someday I will get a louder voice.
Sorry for the long comment, but your post struck a chord this morning.
Thanks
Lori
Good for you for doing it Lori, both for yourself and your daughter! And you must be learning and growing and using your mind as well. How wonderful! I keep thinking that I will start….very small…..and maybe not publish right away, as you say you didn’t. Perhaps I”ll follow in your footsteps. Thank you for sharing your voice!
Thanks for your nice comment. Do it! Nice comments from people who are genuine who connect with you because they like your posts and what you do for no other reason is wonderful.
I read the title of today’s post and started to cry. I am stuck at the moment, living inside my head and my head is not the sanest place to be these days. Maybe doing some writing will help to unstick me and get the gunk out, so to speak. Thank you C, for being so honest with us. Maybe beating the crap out of something inanimate will help too. Tickle a goat for me today.
Thinking of you Kim and sending positive, cheerful energies!!!
Kim, just want you to know that you are not alone in where you are right now. I don’t have any idea if it is something that will change soon for me, but I miss my writing and know that I need that to be a part of every day, horrible-joyous-or otherwise. Best to you.
soon you will be back on the farm Kim my darling girl.. then insanity is the sanity that rules in all its glorious voices.. (Suggest lying your head on one side and boinking the other side of your head with the heel of your hand as though to get water out of your ear.. out will come the gunk and back in will flow your gorgeous voice).. come as soon as you like and for as long as you like.. we have building to do! Lots to do! c
I so appreciate your kind words. They made me cry…again, but that’s okay. Sometimes crying is good. It will get better. i will hold your words in my heart today.
You nailed the answer. Sometimes, I hold back not wanting to speak just to speak, I want to make sure that what I have to add is valuable or a different perspective Not a repeat of what someone else is saying.
Candy, I think I must have said this very same thing about 1 month ago when I decided to take a blogging break to ‘find’ something. I found out for sure that I miss blogging, but I seem to be stuck in the belief that I need to be more, write more/differently, follow the path that others take in this writing game…perhaps Celi and many of the fellowship in their comments have hit the nail on the head. We must just write, as much or as often as our heads and hands tell us to. The rest will follow. Best to you.
Candy you have written the very words in my head. Often I don’t post something simply because I think I might be the only person who finds it interesting or worthwhile. I question it’s value. Celi’s words have encouraged me to just write, even if it’s just for me.
So happy for this post Celi! When the woman asked the question, I saw you reach for the microphone, then everyone else jumped in. And then I waited for you to finish it up, and you didn’t. But this post is so wonderful in that we can all read and share in the very important question of finding one’s voice. And hear the many responses from so many of The Fellowship too!!! 🙂
Godot is looking magnificent today, almost as if he was posing for you 😉 Pig noses and pig teeth–almost better than baby goats! Your words have inspired once more today Miss C. WordPress certainly knew what they were doing when they invited you to speak.
Thank you for your lovely thoughts on our own voices. It really spoke to me, you might say. 🙂
Such wonderful and true words about writing and find one’s voice!
I suspect all your animals would have no trouble taking the stage and voicing their opinions – especially the pigs 😉
The picture of all black and white critters would make a great t-shirt? Just a thought.