Writing voices!

The voice of my witch is much sweeter than mine. Sweeter, but sometimes breaking, only stirring the vocal chords just so enough to move and creak, cozy and intimate. Having found the voice of my witch in my head made me say things I have always wanted to say but did not know how to. It made me write things I had always wanted to write but could not quite grasp.

… And still, sometimes I have to step away from her.
It is never easy, but sometimes I have to step away from all the witchiness and speak, as well as think and feel, on a different frequency. Lately, I did this to write for another project. Another novel! One that is not even written in English, but in German. I don‘t like to use German for anything, usually. This may also be because I never found my witch in German. This one novel I have been working on for a while now, however, seems to work in this weird, hard-sounding, not at all sensual language.

While noticing that I had to switch voices to think in to write for another project than this blog and my witching novel, I suddenly remembered my old days at the theater, and I thought of a few other creative heads I discussed this with ones, and how they all agreed on the voice never to matter in writing. Writing was supposed to happen on the paper, and was not supposed to have a tone, or a rhythm. A novel, they all agreed over a glass of wine, was supposed to be neutral in its narration while a dramatic text was only allowed to be alive on stage. With my thoughts on tone and rhythm I was almost taking the actors on stage all the fun away!

I am glad that my theater days surrounded by intellectuals drinking wine and knowing everything and everyone are over, by the way. And I have to say that I still disagree.

Voices matter.
Tone matters.
Rhythm matters.
Even a lot. To me. When I write.

I have also gotten into other uncomfortable conversations over this, I have to admit. Me switching voices means switching moods. It means finding inspiration. I trigger my witching voice, because I like what we create together. I use the right music, the right emotions. The right kind of scented candle. The right snacks. I have to search for it inside of me. I in general am an intense person. I feel everything so much more than most others. I have that diagnosed (for real). So, also my writing inspiration can explode, at times. I was still not so amused when someone close to me wanted to convince me that I had a whole lot of other complex mental disorders* (than those I am actually already aware of), because, as I said, it is only to create. I make her up, my witch. I never thought I had to spell it out like this, but recent events made me do it. Me talking to my witch is just a creation. It‘s a trope not that uncommon and can be found in various of pieces of literature. Spontaneously, I have to think of the novel „Sophie‘s world“ by Jostein Gaarder, that is literally about a girl receiving letters from an old philosopher that came out of nowhere.

Summoning my witching voice means searching for the inspiration in my head. It means finding the voice, the tone and the feeling to put into words what I usually keep hidden inside of me.
I know that she is not real.
In writing, I just pretend that it does not matter.
And that makes me feel so free.

…as well as it makes me want to whisper, giggle, sing and creak into all of your ears.
As a writer.
Strictly professional.
Of course.

Still, I struggle with switching voices too often. Since I wanted to finish my German novel by the end of the year, I will struggle with this blog a lot in the next few weeks, but please stay with me.

Do you share my thoughts in voices in writing, or have your own experiences with it?
Let me know in a common, if you like!

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