A block of stone.
A blank canvas.
A clean sheet of paper.
What life is filled in such empty spaces!
As
writers—or artists—life brims from such untouched media. And once
we dare to place our chisel on the stone, the brush to the canvas,
the typed word to the paper, we begin to create the vision first
developed in our hearts.
If you've ever walked the hall to the
famous statue of David by Michelangelo, you first pass by his "Prisoners"--blocks of
stone unleashing human form in a dramatic, raw fashion.
Michelangelo once said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to find it."
As if the bodies are emerging from the block, Michelangelo's imitation of
man is whispered on the surface. Not completely finished, not refined
nor perfected...but the art becomes a foreshadow of the greatness in
what lies ahead—the near-perfect statue of David.
Michelangelo once said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to find it."
 |
| Photo of Michelangelo's Prisoner by Avital Pinnick on Flickr |
As writers, we often hear judges or
editors mention the word, “voice”, and sometimes it seems like a
tricky thing to attain in our efforts to craft a story well. If we
look at voice in three stages, we might begin to discover the releasing of our own voices:
FIRST CUT: It's messy to cut into
stone. Imagine the ugly divots and the shards of marble splayed upon
the floor. But Michelangelo knew his direction--to set the statue free. He continued to
chip away. Remember, in those beginning stages of a first draft the words might not
come easy, but you must continue to write and rewrite, chip away at the blank stone, and release your voice through your unique story.
 |
| Photo at Wikimedia Commons |
Our voice is sculpting the human condition in a unique way.
LIFE: The voice of the writer breathes
life into the blank page. It gives the story its pulse. When a
writer has grasped their voice, their story becomes one to marvel at,
just like Michelangelo's statues.
When your voice continues to grow,
your story will fill with life.
Just as the statue of David is a vision the viewer will never forget, your finished manuscript will boldly declare its voice in the heart of your readers.
Just as the statue of David is a vision the viewer will never forget, your finished manuscript will boldly declare its voice in the heart of your readers.
Have you discovered your “voice”?
***************************************************************************
Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous, mothering days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is
passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their
background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's
fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across historical
cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is
represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
***************************************************************************
Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous, mothering days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is
passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their
background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's
fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across historical
cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is
represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
