Creative Writing help! Genuine voice?? (1 Viewer)

[NWO]

I have been told by my tutor to use a "genuine voice" in my creative belonging essay. What she means is that i should write "what i know." For example, she said i should have set the story in a familiar place such as Sydney instead of New York. And that it should involve a teenager as i told the story from the perspective of an adult. I thought setting the story in Sydney would be too "cliche". I'm afraid if i set my story in an American city in HSC, i would LOSE marks for " non-genuine voice.?!" I thought creative writing was meant to be creative. So, any advice or tips?

 

[Elisa Sweet]

As far as I know you woudn't lose marks. As long as you know enough. Just make sure you 'show, not tell' and use all the senses.

 

[obliviousninja]

Tbh, don't go write anything that is in a foreign place, as you probably won't know the surroundings well, and hence it will limit your descriptive-ness. Btw, New York is quite cliche as well. You're better off choosing an exotic location, following a bit of research.

 

[madharris]

I think she mens just make sure you know what you're righting is correct
e.g. If you were writing about a judge in court, you would need to do a bit of research about what they actually say. Just things like that.

My creative was about a middle aged hobo in new york and it did well in my trials (not sure about the actual hsc itself though since I didn't get my marks back)

 

[nerdasdasd]

I think she mens just make sure you know what you're righting is correct
e.g. If you were writing about a judge in court, you would need to do a bit of research about what they actually say. Just things like that.

My creative was about a middle aged hobo in new york and it did well in my trials (not sure about the actual hsc itself though since I didn't get my marks back)

Righting is correct ?

It's meant to be "writing is correct".

 

[Menomaths]

Righting is correct ?

It's meant to be "writing is correct".

lel

 

[madharris]

Righting is correct ?

It's meant to be "writing is correct".

shhh I"m locked out of my house.... I'm lying in the sun Don't be mean! hahah

 

[JT145]

Tbh, don't go write anything that is in a foreign place, as you probably won't know the surroundings well, and hence it will limit your descriptive-ness. Btw, New York is quite cliche as well. You're better off choosing an exotic location, following a bit of research.

I did mine on late 1980s Liverpool (UK).

Oh and Google maps streetview helps a lot.

 

[obliviousninja]

I did mine on late 1980s Liverpool (UK).

Oh and Google maps streetview helps a lot.

I did mine at a school *wink*wink*

 

[Crobat]

I always tell my students to never confine your setting to a specific place in the world. Seeing as you're supposed to be showing and not telling, letting your writing create the image in the reader's head is far more effective that pinpointing the setting to a place like Sydney, New York, etc. It also opens up for amazing descriptive writing in the early stages of your creative writing piece where you need to engage the reader too, which can really only benefit your marks. Remember they also mark in accordance to the quality of writing, and even if you have a good non-cliche story about belonging, poor writing will limit you immensely.

EDIT: In regards to genuine voice, don't worry about it too much. It's more a comment about how realistic your story is than it is about writing from your own experience. How the hell am I meant to know what Death will think at the end of humanity? Didn't stop me from getting B6.

 

[NWO]

Lol ok so i used lower manhatten. And i just described the buildings and the busy traffic etc. I didnt write anything that contradicted my self. Thus its a "creative writing" which means its supposed to be creative? aye?

 

[NWO]

Ok thank you. I will describe the setting and allow the reader to envisage. I got 2 different stories.. dont know which one i should memorise.

 

[NWO]

And she told me to "write what i know". If thats the case i will be telling the story from the perspective from a kid?!

 

[NWO]

K thanks. so lets say i describe new york city, so i dont mention " new york at all"? cos at the beginning of my story i wrote " New York, 1998" etc just like in thrillers..

 

[Crobat]

K thanks. so lets say i describe new york city, so i dont mention " new york at all"? cos at the beginning of my story i wrote " New York, 1998" etc just like in thrillers..

That sounds like something specific to a genre of crime writing, i.e. Noire style. It is relevant if the rest of your story maintains that Noire genre, the hard-boiled, apathetic, morally questionable detective, the brutal murder, maybe corruption, etc. But imo, you can still maintain the Noire style without having to refer directly to the setting being in New York. I think what's more relevant is the fact that it is set in a city, which you can accomplish quite well with the proper use of descriptive language anyway.