What is Meant by “Authentic Voice” in Writing Young Adult Books?

By Lorilyn Roberts 

When I was a young girl, a black lady named Helen used to take care of me while my mother worked. Helen’s voice was soothing and loving; when I heard her voice, I knew I was safe. Later, my mother remarried and we moved away to another city. I used to think about her and wistfully wished I could hear that voice call my name one more time: “Lori.”

One afternoon, quite by surprise, I arrived home from high school and I heard a voice from the past in the basement of our home laughing and talking to my mother. I stopped for a moment, thinking, could it be? But it was too outlandish to even consider, I brushed it aside as impossible. Then I heard my mom call me, “Lori, come see who came to visit you.”

I rushed down the stairs and there she was. Helen said, “Lori, it’s so good to see you.” My first thought was that her voice sounded exactly the way I remembered it from a decade earlier, a sweet sound, distinctively hers no matter how long I went without hearing it. That made an impression on me that I have never forgotten. All those years, I had longed to hear her once more and thought I never would. If I heard her voice again today, I would recognize it as Helen’s.

To me, that is an authentic voice – one which is identified as belonging to one person and no one else. It translates into writing. We must each have our own unique voice. My voice should identify me as Lorilyn Roberts.

While I think it’s good to read and examine others’ style of writing, we should strive to develop our own. I am still playing around with my own style because writing fiction is much harder for me than nonfiction. I have come to realize, though, it’s what I feel comfortable with, what flows naturally, and where my creative process takes me. It’s what I was born with. God gave me a voice to talk; He has given me a voice with which to write. 

Involved in that is a process of learning. Children have to learn how to talk, and that’s much easier and more natural than learning to write, but they still have to learn. In the same way, writers need to develop their own authentic voice and not be afraid to claim it. They should not try to write something intentionally or unintentionally that imitates someone else.

A great example of voice by a young adult is Anne in The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank. Anne was writing to “kitty,” her best friend. Her spunky personality shone without pretense or excuse for why she felt the way she did. She was comfortable in her own skin. There is a term called self-actualization, where one uses everything he or she is to become what he or she was created to be. During Anne’s confinement, she was able to verbalize her innermost fears, hopes, dreams, ambitions, and little triumphs as she learned to rise above the horrific situation she was in and “cope.” 

It’s a tribute to her that such a young girl could come so far into understanding so much about herself and who she was. The amazing thing, which was a God-given gift, was that she had the capacity to write it down so that future generations could empathize and understand what she went through. It’s a great achievement, I believe, in the use of authentic voice, to come so close to knowing Anne Frank and yet never having met her. 

Her authenticity came out in the graphic descriptions of the people in the attic; what it was like to live there for two years locked away from society; their everyday struggles, from using the bathroom to what they ate to what they did to occupy their time; the frequent references to the war and who was winning; their fears of being discovered and their constant squabbles among each other; and even Anne’s innermost thoughts about love and sexuality.

In one way or another, I could relate from my own life experience. I knew she was real and what she suffered was genuine. I wanted to read more to learn what would happen. I was engaged and transported back to a war fought before I lived. I wanted to save Anne and her family. It was hard for me to believe she died before I was even born. This book is a masterpiece.

A third-person narrative can also have an authentic voice, but it needs to be so close to the person’s feelings, thoughts, and actions that you can’t tell the difference. If a book is well written, I won’t even notice if it’s first person or third person unless I stop and think about it.

More than any other genre, young adult books need an authentic voice. YA readers need to be able to like the protagonist and identify with her feelings, thoughts, and goals. That makes writing for young adults challenging but very gratifying when well done.

Wakulla Book Review: "The Medal, a Novel," by Kerriann Flanagan Broskey

The Medal, a novel, by Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

(available on Amazon by clicking here)

Book review by Kaseta, Inmate, Wakulla Correctional, Wakulla, Florida

This is the story of one young woman’s struggle with her faith, and how she eventually comes to have great faith in God. She’s a business woman and a daughter who is dealing with her father’s illness. Ultimately it’s a story of faith that gives us the victory.

The author’s purpose is to strengthen all caregivers and encourage everyone to believe in miracles no matter how much we want not to.

The themes discussed are angels, saints, God, faith, loneliness and helplessness.

The main point is to help you to believe in angels and miracles.

The author stands firm in the controversial issues of angels and miracles and how an angel can be someone very unlikely to your way of thinking.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I couldn’t put it down…just one more page…just one more page. It kept my attention the whole way through. HAVE FAITH!

You can find out more about Kerriann Flanagan Brosky and her book The Medal, a novel by visiting her website at www.padrepiomedal.com

Six-time, award winning author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, has been featured in a number of publications including The New York Times, Newsday and Distinction magazine. She has appeared on CBS' Sunday Morning Show, as well as on local television and radio shows. Kerriann was the host of a weekly Internet radio show on Blogtalk Radio, and she blogged for many years for Patch.com. She is currently a columnist for Village Connection magazine and a contributor to Edible Long Island. 

Kerriann is President Emeritus of the Long Island Authors Group, and is a well-known speaker who draws standing-room-only crowds to her lectures. She is currently working on her seventh book. Kerriann lives in Huntington, Long Island, and when she's not writing she enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband Karl and their two sons. The Medal is her debut novel.

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Each Tuesday, we are posting reviews from Wakulla Correctional inmates of John 3:16 books. 

The Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series is part of 

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida" 

After Writing A Memoir, How to Convert It to a Power Point and Movie

One of my most popular blog posts and for which I've won an award is "How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps."  My idea to write the article came after I wrote my book, "Children of Dreams." After the book was published, I made a presentation to an adoption group. Of course, many people in the audience were either adoptive parents or those wanting to adopt. 

To make my presentation relevant to both groups, I decided to show how my audience could write their own memoir via Power Point. I then later converted the presentation into a movie so it could be watched on the web. But then I forgot about it and never uploaded it. I was looking for something else on my computer and came across the movie. 

I decided to post it here to give readers and those who are writing memoirs an idea of what they can do with their own memoir. It's another way to take your book and and present it to audiences - and hopefully entice people to buy your book after your presentation.

Below is a video I found on youtube that will tell you how to convert your Point Point Presentation into a movie that you can then post on the web, as I have done here.

I always like to find different uses for what I create and share that with readers. Of course, you can also add audio to your movie and make your video even better than I have done here. 

My audience loved this simple presentation and I sold several books afterwards.

If you would like to check out my book Children of Dreams on Amazon, click here.

Wakulla Book Review: He Who Has An Ear, by Laura J. Davis

He Who Has an Ear, by Laura J. Davis

 – Book Review by R. Moyer, Inmate, Wakulla Correctional, Wakulla, Florida

I have read a few books on the study of the book of Revelation, not to mention – listened and watched learned men share their “insights” via television and the radio. At best, I came away confused, each man sharing the same text yet translating it differently. My personal view on why this is – is because the Bible sometimes, especially when it comes to prophecy, is vague in nature – or it is as far as our flawed understanding goes. We need look no further than the prophets of old and how men – priests and Pharisees a like – totally missed the true meaning of them, until the actual events took place. And even then, because of pride and tradition, they refused the truth.

Why is this? I believe because prophecy is many times shrouded with symbolism, and also it is spiritual in nature. God, I believe, gives wisdom to be able to unlock those mysteries, and He chooses the ones He gives the wisdom and gifts of interpretation to. Hence, we have a lot of good men with head knowledge, but not gifted in the Spirit.

It is for this very reason the Ms. Davis’ book is such a breath of fresh air. It is not packed full of debateable interpretations, but is a straightforward look at the seven churches, laid out in a way that laymen can come away with understanding. She uses a style of study that makes her every point clear and there is very little need of defining of explaining symbolism.

Ms. Davis is a very loyal and loving Christian. This shines through in her writing. It is not written to prove her point on prophecy, but to equip the believer with the knowledge to prevent them from falling astray from the love of God.

It is for this reason that I highly recommend this book.

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 To purchase: He Who Has An Ear is on Amazon

To learn more about Laura J. Davis, you can visit her website.

The Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series is part of 

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida" 

Every Tuesday, a John 3:16 book will be reviewed by a Wakulla Correctional inmate. To discover new Christian books, please follow our Wakulla Correctional Book Review Series.

How to Write a Memoir in Twelve Easy Steps

By Lorilyn Roberts

All of us have lived through dramatic times of ecstasy and pain. For the sensitive and sensate person, memories of these events are etched in the psyche and have molded us into who we are. A memoir is a way to touch at the heart of those feelings and allow them to be shared with others.

A memoir is different from an autobiography because it takes a “snapshot” of certain events in a person's life. A memoir tends to read more like a novel. Usually a memoir is written in more colorful language than an autobiography and only relevant information is included. Not everything about a person's life should be shared. So how do I get started, you may ask? Here are twelve steps I followed in writing my memoir of adoption in Children of Dreams.

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1. A memoir should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be a problem, a conflict, and a resolution. 

2. It might be helpful to pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects to bring to memory the experiences you are writing.  If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind.

3. Allow your feelings to flow freely from your mind and heart—they may be painful, terrifying, hurtful, crazy, or not understood, but to write a good memoir, you must bring the buried nemeses to the surface and write with passion.

4. Listen to music that will transport you from your surroundings to the time and place of the memoir. I like classical music, but anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment will work.

5. Don't do any major editing until you've written all that you can remember. Worry later about clean-up. If you edit too soon, you may change something that is important.

6. Expect to feel like you are going crazy. Your feelings may create powerful emotions that are buried deep, but when you write those hidden passions and distorted thoughts on paper, it can be cathartic. The story may even write itself and come to a resolution you never thought possible.

7. Make sure you validate facts. A memoir is based on truth, so dates, times, names, people, and sequence of events are important. Otherwise, your credibility may come into question if something you have written is shown not to be true. It may be necessary to change names or locations, and this is acceptable provided you put a disclaimer at the beginning.

8. A good memoir is rich in color—metaphors, similes, descriptions, dialogue, and feelings will make your memoir come alive.

9. After you've written around one hundred pages, take some time to reflect on what you have said. Then put it aside for a few days, don't look at it, and come back and re‑read it. It will be easier to spot things that need to be revised or rewritten. Save deletions for later.

10.  Be kind to yourself. Writing a memoir is a very personal, gut-wrenching journey.

11. After you have written the rough draft and edited it as much as you can, including deletions, give your memoir to some trusted friends for feedback. You may see a pattern in their comments, and that's a good indication of what needs further revision. Don't be shy and seek a professional editor if needed.  

12. Never give up. Never, never give up. Need I say it again? Never, never, never give up.

Why write a memoir, you may ask?  First, the memories are important to you. The intimate details will soon be forgotten if they are not written down. The memoir validates your experience and gives meaning to your life. Your memories become a treasured journey for others to learn from and enjoy.

A memoir can be a gift to your children, your parents, your friends, your country, and the world. Only you can tell the story that you've been given, and other people's lives will be enriched. Most of all, if you're like me, you will be set free from the past and empowered to write your next story.

You will be changed and healed in ways that would not have been possible without writing your story. Having gone through the journey twice, you will be wiser. Perhaps you will touch others in a way you couldn’t have imagined because the “gestalt” of your experience is universal. Most importantly, you will have accomplished what you set out to do, and that is to write your memoir.

I say it again, never give up. It will be worth it when you have finished.

To learn more about Lorilyn Roberts, visit http://LorilynRoberts.com

Author Sheldon D. Newton Shares His Thoughts on Writing

Today we are showcasing a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, Sheldon D. Newton. A while back I (Lorilyn) asked Sheldon if I could feature him on the John 3:16 Blog. Today, as more and more people write books and try to market them, his advice is timely. 

Recently, I received an email from someone who had written a book, and if you wanted to claim it as your book, all you had to do was buy the rights to the book. Then you could call yourself an author because you had "written" a book. I suppose a more common term for this is "ghostwriting." 

Are people really that desperate to call themselves an author? Considering how difficult it is to make money selling books, I don't know why anyone would go to such lengths to put their name on the front of a book cover. Nevertheless, it's good to be reminded of why we write and if we really have something to say. Writing books is not easy.  I believe the calling should come first.  

Enjoy Sheldon D. Newton's comments and share with your friends. He has great advice in this short memoir.

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To date, I (Sheldon) have written ten books.

When people hear that, they look amazed and wonder how I was able to accomplish such a feat. I am a family man, a pastor, work at times as a Sales Executive for a leading Newspaper Company, travel to teach the Bible and still find time to write. How, one may ask? The answer is simple. When something means something to you, when it is important to you, when you are passionate and feel strongly within about it, you will make time for it.

I love writing. I started writing from I was a teenager. Of course, I wrote in school, doing school work, and at home doing homework. But, when I became a teenager, I started writing using a yellow note pad. (I still do at times, by the way). I wrote based upon what I was doing at the moment, which for me was studying the Holy Bible, God’s Word.

As I read from Matthew through Revelation, I would write down things I came to understand. As a matter of fact, when I began writing, things would just start flowing. I would write page after page from one passage of Scripture. The more I read, the more I wrote. It was exhilarating. It was thrilling. It was exciting.

As time went on, I began to date a wonderful and beautiful young lady who has since become my wife. I wrote her a booklet on my plans for the future, I mean in detail. She still has it after twenty three years of marriage, and at times reminds me of what I promised her I would do for her. (Maybe I shouldn’t have written it down for now I cannot deny that I said it).

Then came the time when I decided to write my first book. Now let me be honest with you when I let you know that writing a book, while to me is exciting, has also proven to be work. Indeed, I have had to develop the habit of thinking things through and stating things in the clearest manner possible so that the reader can comprehend what I mean by what I write in the context that I write it.

So, I wrote a book dealing with the importance of unity. I ensured that I had my reference points and that I knew my subject. And this brings me to my first point about writing: Ensure that you know what you are writing about.

Do not just write a book to write a book. I know that many people are doing that these days. But if you determine to be a writer, I mean, someone who speaks through the pen (or the computer), ensure that you write something of quality, something that can make a difference and have an impact upon the lives of those who may read it.

Do you best. Do your homework regarding your subject matter. Make sure you know what you are speaking about. Words written and sent to the world should make a difference. So write something which matters and for which you have passion and focus.

Hope this encourages you.

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Follow Sheldon D. Newton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/twitter.com/she

You can visit Sheldon's website at: http://www.sheldondnewton.org/

Book Review: How To Train Up a Child and Build Self-Esteem by Krystal Kuehn

c. Jan 2015

Maximum Potential LLC

.99 e-book

Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC

From the Publisher: 

Do you want your child to be confident, optimistic, grateful, successful, positive, hopeful, joyful, resilient, secure? 

Do you want to better connect and strengthen your relationship with him/her?
You can!

Find out how in International, Best-Selling author Krystal Kuehn’s uplifting, character-building, life-changing work:
HOW TO: Train Up & Build Up Your Child - God’s Way! Over 100 Short Messages & Notes to help you Connect, Encourage & Empower Your Child & Those You Love

Lisa's review:

Train Up and Build... is a great hands-on tool for parents who want to make a visual difference in their family life. Kuehn offers well-grounded reasons to encourage your child's self-esteem through reminders in the form of notes that can be read when not in a parent or other caregiver's physical presence. The author proceeds to give many examples in an alphabetical and topical order of notes that can be jotted and placed in lunchboxes or pockets or elsewhere for a child to find and read. The notes themselves are encouraging, I found, and uplifting, for anyone. 

           

“A simple word of encouragement...empowered them and changed the course of their life.”

“Each new day is a gift of you”

“In Christ you can be a God-pleaser and not fall in the trap of caring what people think of you.”

This little book is recommended for anyone who wants to start an encouragement campaign in a general way or a faith-based way and needs a place to start. The author's credentials as a counselor add credence.

buy on Amazon

Wakulla Book Review: Seventh Dimension - The King, Book 2, by Lorilyn Roberts

Seventh Dimension Series, The King, Book 2 – A Young Adult Fantasy

Wakulla Book Review

I wanted to share one of my favorite reviews by a reader who “got it.” My belief is that God opens the eyes of readers who are open to receiving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into their hearts and minds. In fact, God gives us the ability to perceive spiritual things that without His Spirit working within us, we would not be able to see. 

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Wakulla Book Review by Ronald

Summary:  Where Book 1, “The Door” was offered from the perspective of a teenage girl with no particular religious upbringing or background, “The King” is derived from that of a teenage boy of modern Jewish origin.

Daniel, the story's protagonist, is neither devout nor hardhearted toward God, taking a more contemporary, “he must be somewhere else doing other things” outlook. Throughout, God is calling and showing Himself to Daniel by sending angels to aid him, messages to tell him, and miracles to convince him, all pointing to Jesus of Nazareth and Passover. Aided by actual Biblical figures, sayings, and events, this is an informative look at the unfortunate, contemporary attitude of Israel and God’s never ending love for them and desire that they return again to Him (reminiscent of the parable of the lost sheep).

Purpose:  With an admittedly Jewish slant, Roberts reaches out to Jews and everybody with a Biblical portrayal of Jesus as the Messiah, in obvious agreement with the apostle Paul in Romans 10:1: Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved (King James Edition).

Theme:  That God is ultimately in control of everything; our lives, our futures. and our destinies. That the only satisfaction we can have is when we acknowledge Him and submit ourselves to His will for our lives.

Thesis:  That the world’s Messiah—Jewish and Gentile—has come in the person of Jesus/Yeshua of Nazareth.

Controversial issues:  Worship‑that the world offers gold, fame, respect, and adoration to those foolish enough to fall for its temptations. Romance‑that we are God's temple and are to remain pure and undefiled by casual sexual relations. That God wants us to save ourselves for marriage. Ambition‑that pursuing personal desires and goals that do not consider Him first actually regulate Him to second in our lives, and that to our detriment. Salvation‑that God offers the only way to be saved.

Enjoyed the book: Yes, particularly after Daniel left Shale and took Nathan to his father. From that point on it was an intense tale of the struggle that takes place in our lives as God draws us to Himself. Yes. It caused me to re-examine those pursuits in my own life and whether they are Godly or self-fulfilling.

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To purchase a copy of  “Seventh Dimension – The King, Book 2,” from Amazon, please visit http://bit.ly/The_King_P for the print version and http://bit.ly/AWKING for the Kindle version.

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Florida Department of Corrections, Wakulla, Florida

Our Vision: "Changing Lives to Ensure a Safer Florida"

This is the first blog post in a series of posts featuring reviews by Wakulla Correctional inmates of John 3:16 books. I hope you will visit our blog next week to enjoy more reviews and discover new Christian books by John 3:16 authors.