How Writers Can Crush the ‘You’re Wrong’ Voice

Lately we’ve been talking about the voices that hound writers during their writing. We’ve already talked about three voices that writers will likely hear at any stage in their writing career, including the I Can’t Do This Voice, the Who Would Even Read This Voice, and the This is Terrible Voice. Today I’d like to talk about the You’re Wrong voice.

I’m going to break this one down into fiction and nonfiction, because I believe it hits writers differently across those two mediums.

Fiction

So for fiction writers, the voice is a little ridiculous, right? Because fiction isn’t true. So there’s not really a way to be wrong, is there?

Well, actually there is. I’m going to talk about this in more depth at a later date, but as fiction writers, we also have a duty to our readers. I might feel a little more strongly about this than other writers, because I write for kids. But my duty to my kid readers is this: truth must be included in my fiction. If I decide to write a tale that takes place during World War II, it is my duty to get the facts of that time period straight. If I decide to write a story about an autistic boy, it is my duty to my readers to make sure I write about autism accurately and honestly. If I decide to frame an entire young adult story around mental health issues, I better get it right.

So, as you can see, this voice does have something to say to fiction writers. It’s just that when the voice stems from fear, we’ll have to silence it.

Here’s how we can do that: Cover all our bases. If you’ve covered all your bases, you’re not going to be wrong. But what are the bases you have to cover?

Base 1: Do the research.

If your story needs any kind of research, do it. Put in the work. I read an article recently about fantasy and how many fantasy books have protagonists who happen to hop on a horse while they’re running from the enemy, and even though they’ve never ridden a horse before, they can miraculously ride a horse perfectly. This is not possible. The article reminded authors that even though they may be writing fantasy or fiction of any kind, they owe it to their readers to get the details around the story correct. So determine what those details are for your story. And put in the time to do the necessary research.

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Base 2: Plan your story well.

I know how some feel about the idea of brainstorming, but I also know, from much experience, that brainstorming helps me tell a more accurate, more linear, more enjoyable story. When our stories have holes or questions, readers lose trust in us. We can fix this by brainstorming well, or even with a partner.

Base 3: Learn your craft.

Never stop learning. You owe it to your readers to continuously improve, and this is an often underrated way to defeat the “You’re Wrong” voice. It’s actually a way to defeat all the voices we’ve talked about. When we’re secure in our writing, the voices cannot sway us—at least not for long.

Nonfiction

The You’re Wrong Voice gets a little louder when we’re talking about nonfiction—especially when it comes to essays and articles that are philosophizing or teaching. It’s easy to look at our point of view in a particular essay and agree with the voice. It’s easy to look at an article in which we’re teaching something and wonder if we haven’t quite learned all we need to know to be writing something like this.

Some ways to beat the voice when writing nonfiction include these:

1. Do your research.

That’s right. It’s the same for nonfiction as it is for fiction. When you’re writing an essay about eating disorders, make sure you have the correct information about eating disorders—even if that information never makes it into the essay. Equip yourself to know so that you form your opinion from fact. And then the voice has nothing left to say. Because of:

2. Remember that your point of view is your view from a point.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating. We come from all different backgrounds and childhoods and worldviews, and no one will ever completely agree with another, because no one has ever lived another’s exact life. So our ideas, our opinions, are not wrong. They’re just views.

3. Remember how much you know.

Remember that someone can always learn from what you know. When I’m writing a teaching article, I often wonder what authors farther along in their journey would have to say about what I’m writing. But I also have to remember that I know more about this, today, than someone else does. And I should help those people, today, rather than waiting until I know more tomorrow. We’ll never know all there is to know in the world. We have to share what we know right now, and then keep learning.

[Tweet “We’ll never know all there is to know in the world. Share what you know now & keep learning.”]

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