I don’t think I ever thought about this! As a super baby writer I think my biggest worry is my characters feeling the same, but I don’t think I have even found my voice. This is such a great perspective though! I hope to never be afraid to evolve ♥️
Watching the Grammys yesterday I had a very similar thought... being here in 2016 and watching it all go down feels eerily similar to what we're seeing now. As a longtime diehard fan it's very difficult to suddenly not be able to separate Taylor from the music, when that was always one of my favourite parts of listening. I wish she had allowed for some more space for the press to calm down and also so that the new era feels super immersive before releasing new music!
On a side note I am ridiculously excited for what your new novel has in store and for the new era we're going to be in! It's so wonderful hearing about your process after following your books for 11 years this year my god <3
I didn’t know how much I needed to read those words until I read them. Thank you, Soman. Reinventing art is just like going through life changes. Throughout life I’ve had to change and adapt in order to push forward and chip away at success. Sometimes those changes don’t seem to be happening and it’s so frustrating. Today is going to be one of those points in time that I’ll look back on and future me will be glowing with pride at all the changes I’ve made will feel so natural. I can’t wait to read your new voice on release day!
We kick and scream when we're forced to change, but life will inevitably win, so best not resist. Just go with the changes and embrace it. The changes are part of what make life worth living.
It’s funny that you post this now, I was just worrying about the voice in my WIP! I think that when looking at voice, there’s both the constant worry of consistency, keeping your voice similar enough that it continuously sounds like your writing, but also leaving enough variation in there that it doesn’t sound like the same person mindlessly droning on. Recently, a mentor of mine was editing some of my writing and commented “This is an interesting voice you’re using, but there isn’t enough you in it.” Often, I try to dress up my voice with bells and whistles a la my favourite old authors (Robert Louis Stevenson, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde) and end up sounding far too prim with my writing, taking out the slightly manic and obsessive energy that follows me everywhere, and other times, I try to sound far too casual for my own style, leading to something similar to the gorgeous but very not-me style of Rick Riordan, or the pondering wanders of Shannon Messenger. Admittedly, from time to time I’ve even accidentally adopted some very Soman-like qualities into some of my drafts, leading to a fellow SGE fangirl editor remarking: “Did Soman Chainani ghostwrite this?” Oftentimes, in trying to avoid my same old voice, I end up deviating to other authors, making the voice even less consistent and less me. The author’s eternal struggle when it comes to voice, in my opinion, is balance. I want my energy and my voice to be leaking out of every orifice of my writing and make it uniquely my voice, but I also need to remember to consolidate pieces of myself into different pieces, to tear my soul apart enough times (Jekyll and Hyde style) that each character and each new thought or POV sounds slightly original and unique to itself. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Soman, and I can’t wait to hear more about your process and thoughts when foraying into this new world! Thank you for bringing us along for the ride!
This is so helpful for everyone to read -- I think early in a writing career, mimicking authors you love is so important! It's where you operate from a place of confidence before you begin taking risks. SGE had a similar tone to my favorite book Auntie Mame, and as I grew into that first draft, I felt the voice becoming more and more my own. With this book, it feels purely organic in that I'm not even in control of it. It's just coming from somewhere inside.
Ahh, Swifties unite! And I agree, there is definitely a problem where artists and musicians have to constantly reinvent themselves while also not changing their original image too much or being too unpredictable. I feel like the best thing to do is go with the flow and try not to force any changes, but don't hold them back either. And it will naturally feel genuine enough for people to follow and enjoy the artist's work! Also, those new excerpts sound incredible. I am so excited!!
Taylor talks about this in Miss Americana -- that's why I think getting too fixed in the public's mind in terms of your personality and personal life is a bit dangerous. Who wants to see an author posting their gelato and what topping they put on their pizza?? I feel like it's hard to then just let go and enjoy the work. But maybe I'm too old-school.
In a way we all only have one voice. But that's not a bad thing. Our voice can be made of many different parts. Its unique and it's our own. Some voices are louder than others. My fear is not having one voice, but having a voice that is never heard. I have quiet the story to tell, but unlike some, my voice is quiet. (At least around most people.) It would be interesting to see would come of every quiet voice being heard.
So glad we’re all Swifties with the same worries here…it’s almost unprecedented how mainstream Taylor has become; even my parents say they can’t go a day without seeing her on the news. Until reading this I didn’t even notice how my perception on her and her music had changed due to that — my first thought this morning waking up to the TTPD post on Insta was “oh, two years ago? She was dating Joe, and with a title like that this must be the Joe-breakup album. Damn! I really wanted to hear the Travis-love album.”
…like, okay? Taylor (and many many other artists) have always asked us (politely) not to attach names and places and events to their work, yet when someone’s life is followed as closely as her’s, it almost becomes hard not to. All this to say, I wish we (as a society) were better at LEAVING CELEBRITIES ALONE.
Moving on…I’m so glad to have read this! I know I would have been surprised had I picked up the book in a few years time and read such a different tone. It’s certainly not a bad thing (to the contrary, it’s a very good choice for the words house, kill, nuke) BUT as someone who’s been reading and rereading SGE ever since I COULD read, I think I might have been confused. However, as artists, I think we should be prepared for (if not embracing of) exploration and reinvention (to a certain degree of course), especially since the core of who we are will always come through in our work anyway.
Oh I don't think Taylor wants us to leave her alone, lol. But I think when an artist builds trust with their audience over a long period of time, that then gives the freedom to say... trust me, come along for this ride... you won't be disappointed...
I definitely have these worries too. I’m really surprised she’s decided to release a brand new album in the middle of the eras tour especially, the tour that’s technically midnights’ tour. is she gonna do a new tour after she finishes the eras? is she just gonna add it to the eras tour? does that mean she’ll come back to the US? so many questions. and I guess we’ll just have to wait and see the quality of the album and how people respond to it. people already tend to hate on taylor because she’s so popular, so I can’t even imagine how bad it could get if the album isn’t top tier. (and with a fun title like “the tortured poet’s department,” I hope it is a masterpiece)
Marina Abramovic has this axiom of art -- "An artist must not overproduce." Which is interesting, because Taylor's been bucking that the last few years with just an absolute flood of new music. But the level is always there.
my husband is a fine artist, and what he's learned from "the masters" is that not every painting or drawing gets seen. you DO "overproduce," but it's only because every one in five or so pieces is worth showing.
perhaps like our abandoned story ideas or rough drafts... you gotta make a LOT of art to find the good stuff. what remains is intrinsic to our voice-- to our vision of the world and what we want others to see and pay attention to with a renewed reverence.
so as prolific and masterful as taylor's album releases are: perhaps there are another 20 more in the archives never to be heard. :)
I fear that if I change my one story then everyone around me will not want to hear me for me. After reading SGE and listening to Taylor I realized that I need to have a voice but ever since people tell me that I’m acting weird and different. I was so shocked when Taylor announced her new album I for sure thought reputation was next. I’m so excited for the Super Bowl for once because Taylor’s boyfriend is playing!!!!!
so is it the "stardom" of the personality that keeps us coming back to people like taylor & madonna? if their art evolves, and they can share with us their own eras, and we keep eating up their art, no matter what it is or sounds like-- is it because we like the art, or because we like THEM?
(sidenote: yes, i definitely have feelings on taylor being over-exposed over the course of the past year. and no matter how many nutritionists and health coaches she has on staff, i still worry about her over-exerting herself on her world tour 3+ hour concerts... ack! & unrelated to any political theories, i've been baffled over the public-ness of her TK relationship since the beginning; but i suppose stranger things have happened *cough cough goat*farmer*) ;)
anyway!! my "writing problem" is that i'm not out there yet. and every time i make a piece of art, i DO keep evolving (growing? improving?) to where it doesn't look "like me." and to "get hired" by a publisher or an art director... well, they want consistency. they want a BRAND. and until you're "at the top" and can do whatever you want (i shan't name names, but they've earned it!), you gotta be... um, the you they saw when they saw you. and do it again. & again.
so soman? we shall follow you to the cold, bleak farm and back (or not) to the faerie tale village. you've earned it.
your persona (star!) AND your craft have lead you to be the tswift/madonna/recovery goddess celine we all want on our bookshelves, at our bookfestivals, on our hollywood red carpets, and parading down the streets of nyc and the tractor trails of... um... kansas city...? shall we look for you on the megatron at the super bowl? is this an album drop surprise hint from you? ;D
Ha ha ha. This comment made me so happy. I feel like I had ten years of glamping around like Sophie and being a total diva on and off the page. And now, I'm in this strange new era where I'm saving baby goats at 2am, covered in cow poop, learning to drive in St. Louis, and writing a book which no one on earth is expecting. It's so disorienting and sometimes I get scared. But then, like Sophie, I remember... I'm *me*. Ha ha ha.
Being completely honest, I've never seen or thought about this way... and you're so right!! When I listen to music I don't think about how famous the artist is or how many streams this song has, I just listen to the words and see how it correlates with my own life and feelings. I don't necessarily fear that I only have one voice, but instead think to myself, how can I make that one voice have different voices, yet still fall under the "one voice" category. How do you personally do that?
The thing is.. I haven't given myself permission to even tell that one story, my voice did not yet reach my own ears. I need lots of healing and lots of work just to get back to writing. I guess the change that I should currently do is changing to stagnant waters to a flowing current because nothing is moving and why would I move cities when I haven't truly lived in this one...
I worry endlessly about my voice. I dip in and out of writing because I feel that nothing I'm writing has a tone that suits me. I need to keep writing and pursue my dream, but when I'm not confident in my voice, it doesn't seem right. I take a lot of inspiration for tone from the SGE books, but if I start writing I feel like I'm copying someone else. It takes time for voices to develop, and change.
I'm so excited to hear your new voice and writing in your new book!!
I don't think I have one voice. I have one type of writing that I am most comfortable with but I don't have one voice (at least not that I've noticed). I think the story informs the voice used to tell it, not the other way around. As your saying, you've started a new story and your voice has adapted to fit it. I write in the way that I think the character I'm speaking for would write. I write plays so my voice in that sense has to be very adaptable for different actors, but I've also written a few short stories that I'm proud of. When people analyze stories in English classes they talk about why authors chose to write in the way that they did. I don't think that is a conscious decision. Taylor's musical voice changed as she changed and that will continue to be true. When the style you believe to be your voice starts dictating which stories you can and can't tell, you stop being an artist and start being a factory for a specific type of stories. You chose what stories to write, your stories will tell you how to write them.
This is super interesting! Also, before I forget, which song matches: your new novel, the SGE School Years trilogy, The Camelot Years, and the prequels? Would they all be Taylor Swift or another artist?
Do we need to talk about Celine
I don’t think I ever thought about this! As a super baby writer I think my biggest worry is my characters feeling the same, but I don’t think I have even found my voice. This is such a great perspective though! I hope to never be afraid to evolve ♥️
You're on your way... :)
Watching the Grammys yesterday I had a very similar thought... being here in 2016 and watching it all go down feels eerily similar to what we're seeing now. As a longtime diehard fan it's very difficult to suddenly not be able to separate Taylor from the music, when that was always one of my favourite parts of listening. I wish she had allowed for some more space for the press to calm down and also so that the new era feels super immersive before releasing new music!
On a side note I am ridiculously excited for what your new novel has in store and for the new era we're going to be in! It's so wonderful hearing about your process after following your books for 11 years this year my god <3
Maybe she's waiting to release Reputation until after the inevitable 2.0 downfall comes.......!
I didn’t know how much I needed to read those words until I read them. Thank you, Soman. Reinventing art is just like going through life changes. Throughout life I’ve had to change and adapt in order to push forward and chip away at success. Sometimes those changes don’t seem to be happening and it’s so frustrating. Today is going to be one of those points in time that I’ll look back on and future me will be glowing with pride at all the changes I’ve made will feel so natural. I can’t wait to read your new voice on release day!
We kick and scream when we're forced to change, but life will inevitably win, so best not resist. Just go with the changes and embrace it. The changes are part of what make life worth living.
It’s funny that you post this now, I was just worrying about the voice in my WIP! I think that when looking at voice, there’s both the constant worry of consistency, keeping your voice similar enough that it continuously sounds like your writing, but also leaving enough variation in there that it doesn’t sound like the same person mindlessly droning on. Recently, a mentor of mine was editing some of my writing and commented “This is an interesting voice you’re using, but there isn’t enough you in it.” Often, I try to dress up my voice with bells and whistles a la my favourite old authors (Robert Louis Stevenson, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde) and end up sounding far too prim with my writing, taking out the slightly manic and obsessive energy that follows me everywhere, and other times, I try to sound far too casual for my own style, leading to something similar to the gorgeous but very not-me style of Rick Riordan, or the pondering wanders of Shannon Messenger. Admittedly, from time to time I’ve even accidentally adopted some very Soman-like qualities into some of my drafts, leading to a fellow SGE fangirl editor remarking: “Did Soman Chainani ghostwrite this?” Oftentimes, in trying to avoid my same old voice, I end up deviating to other authors, making the voice even less consistent and less me. The author’s eternal struggle when it comes to voice, in my opinion, is balance. I want my energy and my voice to be leaking out of every orifice of my writing and make it uniquely my voice, but I also need to remember to consolidate pieces of myself into different pieces, to tear my soul apart enough times (Jekyll and Hyde style) that each character and each new thought or POV sounds slightly original and unique to itself. I wish you the best of luck on your journey, Soman, and I can’t wait to hear more about your process and thoughts when foraying into this new world! Thank you for bringing us along for the ride!
This is so helpful for everyone to read -- I think early in a writing career, mimicking authors you love is so important! It's where you operate from a place of confidence before you begin taking risks. SGE had a similar tone to my favorite book Auntie Mame, and as I grew into that first draft, I felt the voice becoming more and more my own. With this book, it feels purely organic in that I'm not even in control of it. It's just coming from somewhere inside.
Ahh, Swifties unite! And I agree, there is definitely a problem where artists and musicians have to constantly reinvent themselves while also not changing their original image too much or being too unpredictable. I feel like the best thing to do is go with the flow and try not to force any changes, but don't hold them back either. And it will naturally feel genuine enough for people to follow and enjoy the artist's work! Also, those new excerpts sound incredible. I am so excited!!
Taylor talks about this in Miss Americana -- that's why I think getting too fixed in the public's mind in terms of your personality and personal life is a bit dangerous. Who wants to see an author posting their gelato and what topping they put on their pizza?? I feel like it's hard to then just let go and enjoy the work. But maybe I'm too old-school.
In a way we all only have one voice. But that's not a bad thing. Our voice can be made of many different parts. Its unique and it's our own. Some voices are louder than others. My fear is not having one voice, but having a voice that is never heard. I have quiet the story to tell, but unlike some, my voice is quiet. (At least around most people.) It would be interesting to see would come of every quiet voice being heard.
On the page, a quiet and loud voice have equal weight!
So glad we’re all Swifties with the same worries here…it’s almost unprecedented how mainstream Taylor has become; even my parents say they can’t go a day without seeing her on the news. Until reading this I didn’t even notice how my perception on her and her music had changed due to that — my first thought this morning waking up to the TTPD post on Insta was “oh, two years ago? She was dating Joe, and with a title like that this must be the Joe-breakup album. Damn! I really wanted to hear the Travis-love album.”
…like, okay? Taylor (and many many other artists) have always asked us (politely) not to attach names and places and events to their work, yet when someone’s life is followed as closely as her’s, it almost becomes hard not to. All this to say, I wish we (as a society) were better at LEAVING CELEBRITIES ALONE.
Moving on…I’m so glad to have read this! I know I would have been surprised had I picked up the book in a few years time and read such a different tone. It’s certainly not a bad thing (to the contrary, it’s a very good choice for the words house, kill, nuke) BUT as someone who’s been reading and rereading SGE ever since I COULD read, I think I might have been confused. However, as artists, I think we should be prepared for (if not embracing of) exploration and reinvention (to a certain degree of course), especially since the core of who we are will always come through in our work anyway.
Oh I don't think Taylor wants us to leave her alone, lol. But I think when an artist builds trust with their audience over a long period of time, that then gives the freedom to say... trust me, come along for this ride... you won't be disappointed...
Oh yeah of course, I meant more so not invading their private lives!
I definitely have these worries too. I’m really surprised she’s decided to release a brand new album in the middle of the eras tour especially, the tour that’s technically midnights’ tour. is she gonna do a new tour after she finishes the eras? is she just gonna add it to the eras tour? does that mean she’ll come back to the US? so many questions. and I guess we’ll just have to wait and see the quality of the album and how people respond to it. people already tend to hate on taylor because she’s so popular, so I can’t even imagine how bad it could get if the album isn’t top tier. (and with a fun title like “the tortured poet’s department,” I hope it is a masterpiece)
Marina Abramovic has this axiom of art -- "An artist must not overproduce." Which is interesting, because Taylor's been bucking that the last few years with just an absolute flood of new music. But the level is always there.
my husband is a fine artist, and what he's learned from "the masters" is that not every painting or drawing gets seen. you DO "overproduce," but it's only because every one in five or so pieces is worth showing.
perhaps like our abandoned story ideas or rough drafts... you gotta make a LOT of art to find the good stuff. what remains is intrinsic to our voice-- to our vision of the world and what we want others to see and pay attention to with a renewed reverence.
so as prolific and masterful as taylor's album releases are: perhaps there are another 20 more in the archives never to be heard. :)
Anything by Taylor is a masterpiece
I fear that if I change my one story then everyone around me will not want to hear me for me. After reading SGE and listening to Taylor I realized that I need to have a voice but ever since people tell me that I’m acting weird and different. I was so shocked when Taylor announced her new album I for sure thought reputation was next. I’m so excited for the Super Bowl for once because Taylor’s boyfriend is playing!!!!!
I am also a fellow swiftie GO CHIEFS
It was succchhh a good twist. I don't know how she gets everyone to keep secrets without them leaking.
so is it the "stardom" of the personality that keeps us coming back to people like taylor & madonna? if their art evolves, and they can share with us their own eras, and we keep eating up their art, no matter what it is or sounds like-- is it because we like the art, or because we like THEM?
(sidenote: yes, i definitely have feelings on taylor being over-exposed over the course of the past year. and no matter how many nutritionists and health coaches she has on staff, i still worry about her over-exerting herself on her world tour 3+ hour concerts... ack! & unrelated to any political theories, i've been baffled over the public-ness of her TK relationship since the beginning; but i suppose stranger things have happened *cough cough goat*farmer*) ;)
anyway!! my "writing problem" is that i'm not out there yet. and every time i make a piece of art, i DO keep evolving (growing? improving?) to where it doesn't look "like me." and to "get hired" by a publisher or an art director... well, they want consistency. they want a BRAND. and until you're "at the top" and can do whatever you want (i shan't name names, but they've earned it!), you gotta be... um, the you they saw when they saw you. and do it again. & again.
so soman? we shall follow you to the cold, bleak farm and back (or not) to the faerie tale village. you've earned it.
your persona (star!) AND your craft have lead you to be the tswift/madonna/recovery goddess celine we all want on our bookshelves, at our bookfestivals, on our hollywood red carpets, and parading down the streets of nyc and the tractor trails of... um... kansas city...? shall we look for you on the megatron at the super bowl? is this an album drop surprise hint from you? ;D
Ha ha ha. This comment made me so happy. I feel like I had ten years of glamping around like Sophie and being a total diva on and off the page. And now, I'm in this strange new era where I'm saving baby goats at 2am, covered in cow poop, learning to drive in St. Louis, and writing a book which no one on earth is expecting. It's so disorienting and sometimes I get scared. But then, like Sophie, I remember... I'm *me*. Ha ha ha.
yeah, you are!
and we love you for it. :)
Being completely honest, I've never seen or thought about this way... and you're so right!! When I listen to music I don't think about how famous the artist is or how many streams this song has, I just listen to the words and see how it correlates with my own life and feelings. I don't necessarily fear that I only have one voice, but instead think to myself, how can I make that one voice have different voices, yet still fall under the "one voice" category. How do you personally do that?
The thing is.. I haven't given myself permission to even tell that one story, my voice did not yet reach my own ears. I need lots of healing and lots of work just to get back to writing. I guess the change that I should currently do is changing to stagnant waters to a flowing current because nothing is moving and why would I move cities when I haven't truly lived in this one...
I worry endlessly about my voice. I dip in and out of writing because I feel that nothing I'm writing has a tone that suits me. I need to keep writing and pursue my dream, but when I'm not confident in my voice, it doesn't seem right. I take a lot of inspiration for tone from the SGE books, but if I start writing I feel like I'm copying someone else. It takes time for voices to develop, and change.
I'm so excited to hear your new voice and writing in your new book!!
I don't think I have one voice. I have one type of writing that I am most comfortable with but I don't have one voice (at least not that I've noticed). I think the story informs the voice used to tell it, not the other way around. As your saying, you've started a new story and your voice has adapted to fit it. I write in the way that I think the character I'm speaking for would write. I write plays so my voice in that sense has to be very adaptable for different actors, but I've also written a few short stories that I'm proud of. When people analyze stories in English classes they talk about why authors chose to write in the way that they did. I don't think that is a conscious decision. Taylor's musical voice changed as she changed and that will continue to be true. When the style you believe to be your voice starts dictating which stories you can and can't tell, you stop being an artist and start being a factory for a specific type of stories. You chose what stories to write, your stories will tell you how to write them.
This is super interesting! Also, before I forget, which song matches: your new novel, the SGE School Years trilogy, The Camelot Years, and the prequels? Would they all be Taylor Swift or another artist?
Ooof, I'm still thinking. Blank Space would be a good one for the School Years.
Take your time! And Blank Space is PERFECT for the School Years.