Finding your writing voice and writing a book with Allison Fallon

Allison helps us understand what it means to find your own unique writing voice, and turn that into a book or other form of written piece. Her passion behind writing struck me immediately and I can't wait to share her gifts!

There is something nice about the fact that Allison has taken something that she genuinely loves to do and go through the motions of. She understands that other people want to do this and want to be published and want their book on a shelf. There is so much more of it to Allison, and she wants others to experience that worth on their own. Allison sets aside time and resources for those hoping for rhyme to become more successful, even to their own self by being able to answer those hard questions and dig a little bit deeper into themselves without having to put what other people, and what other people are going to read, first. They are putting what they want first, and their own mindset first. 

“ It's really important because there is this conversation within the writing community -  Is the writing for me, or is it for the reader? You will get people that will stake their claims in both camps. Some people agree that your writing is for the reader, and if a reader doesn't want to purchase it then what's the point worth writing? Some people are very much about giving the people what they want, and if people are buying crime novels, then let's all write crime novels because we can all make great money doing that. Then there are the purists, who are the artists of the world and say that they need to tap in and listen to my inner wisdom. And they pay attention to that and they don't necessarily listen to what the readers are looking for. The way I see it is that it's both - it has to be both. With any of our creative works, unless we die in obscurity and our work is never really appreciated, we need to at least think about both.”

“The way I explain it to writers is that it's just like any relationship. So, think about a romantic relationship or a close friendship with you. You would never be like “this is all about me, and what I want and I just have to listen to my inner wisdom and I don't care what you say or think or how you feel, this is all about me just making sure I am being true to myself.’’ There is definitely room for that and a really important place for that. But, no relationship lasts without us saying “ Hold on, let's pause and let me listen to what matters to you. What do you want to hear from me, what questions are you asking yourself that you don't have the answers to?”  And finding a place where those overlap. When you find a strong overlap of what matters to you and what matters to others , then you have found your audience. Then it doesn't matter if you are writing about cats, or if you are writing crime novels, faith or relationships. The thing that matters the most to you and you are really passionate about are also the same things that your readers are passionate about. They are asking the same questions you're asking , and they are drawn in by what you're thinking about, and interested in your thought process. And that is where I think beautiful art is made.” 

What is the bare minimum of the process that people will go through when they are involved with Find Your Voice?

“Our goal is to get as many people as possible into a rhythm of writing.  This is a bigger task then you might imagine because most of us don't define ourselves as writers. When I speak to audiences, I always ask the question “How many of you in here would consider yourself a writer?” You would be shocked how I would be in a room full of really creative, intellinet, accomplished people and a handful of whom I know have published something, and no one will raise their hands. Then I will ask “ How many of you write, compose, and send three emails or text messages every day?” Then there's the familiar laughter, of - oh yeah, i do that every single day, and i would have a hard time existing in the modern world if I wasn’t writing everyday. But we have a really hard time owning our identity as a writer. You have to get people over that roadblock first. The next step is to help people establish a habit in their life, which is always  easier said than done. The benefit of getting over the hump, research has shown that their anxiety levels come down, their moods improve, they are more likely to report being happy, they're more likely to get promoted and paid more, become better contributors to society. All these really incredible changes come when we implement a regular practice of writing into our lives. “

What we are trying to achieve at Find Your Voice, is trying to get people to commit to themselves, that writing is a worthy way to spend their time, and give them the resources they need to get started in that process. Which for us, includes sending them writing prompts every Monday morning. This is a totally free way to get involved with Find Your Voice. 

Here at We’re All Creative, we love what Allison is doing is not only helping people in their writing life, but in their life in general, and that itself translates into their writing life. 

Do people write better if they write more often or is it more of a self confidence building process? Listen here, for Allison's thought on the process and the full podcast! 

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