Learning Curve and Finding Your Voice

OK, so I think my first book is getting better and better. I wrote it over a year ago, but through critique groups and a lot of thinking, it has far more punch than it had when I originally wrote it. I'm to the point that when I read it it doesn't trip me up anymore. I just read and enjoy. I suspect that is a good sign.

It is somewhat discouraging how much of a learning curve this has been, but with each book I've internalized a lot of the lessons I've learned so it gets easier. No wonder not everybody kicks out a novel, and no wonder not everybody gets published. Lots and lots of work, thought, discussion, and patience go into it.

So anyway, I have discovered that the more I write, the more my internal voice is coming out in the books, and I think that's a good thing. My writing has drifted from a generic, cautious style to a more amusing, punchy style now that I am more comfortable with the medium. I am so pleased.

So note to anybody on the writing path: keep trying and keep learning. It takes a lot of time, but you do get better as you go.