By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

We have chickens. They’ve been a real source of enjoyment for our family, and each chicken is lovingly named. There’s Lovie, Sassy, Lucy, and Mae. Though we refer to them collectively as “the girls,” we aren’t sure if Lucy is a rooster or a hen. When I purchased my chicks at the feed store, we picked them from the “sexed” chicken basket, but apparently, sexing chickens isn’t the easiest task in the world.

Lucy is bigger than her sisters. Her beautiful red comb crowns her head. She has thick legs, big feet, and she’s marked beautifully. She normally gently clucks when I call her, but when I went out to feed them and sang my normal chime, “Here chick, chick, chick!” She rushed to the coop door and…well…she sorta, kinda, almost crowed. It was a half-crow.

I immediately shushed her and said, Lucy, our neighbors will take you from a rooster to a hen before you can crow Jack Sprat.” Shhhhh!” This led me to dive into research. Was Lucy a  rooster or a hen? She has a comb, but the chicken experts say, “Three bumps in a row, that bird will crow!” She only has one row on her red crown. Her feet are solid yellow, not variegated with black or brown, and she is not dawning the iridescent color roosters are supposed to have. Yet Lucy crowed, almost! We don’t know if she is a rooster or a hen.

You may wonder what a rooster (or a hen) has to do with your writing. It’s not so much the animal as it is the analogy. We attend writers’ conferences to gain strong writing skills, guidance, and direction in our pathway to becoming an author. And yet, even at conferences, we gain conflicting information. Most all are correct, but the time may be different. Like my chick, it changes with time. Trends change. Even styles of writing change.

Writing, like many things, is subjective. Because of that, everyone will look at your writing through their own filter of subjectivity. When I began writing 25+ years ago, I was told I wrote with a literary prose style. At the time, literary prose was a no-no. It was the only way I knew to write, and well…exactly was literary prose anyway? I was confused, and besides that, I JUST CROWED FOR PETE’S SAKE! Who was I writing-wise? I had no idea.

Some of  the best advice I’ve been given in my writing career was from the late author, Ron Benrey. Ron pulled me to the side at a conference and said, “Cindy, you have a unique literary style in your writing. It’s clear and rings beautifully on the page. Stay true to yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you to change this style. Your time will come, and when it does, the beautiful way you craft words will be adored.” I walked away, honored and confused. I was so new I didn’t know or understand what Ron was saying.

I adhered to his advice and learned new ways to write in different genres. I stayed true to what I knew best. My agent nudged me to write romance. It was “the hot topic” at the time, and I did write one romance novel with a dear friend, but I used a pen name. My first novel was released just before the romance and was doing very well. Appalachian historical was my brand. Not romance. The publisher was somewhat irritated that I insisted on using a pen name, but Ron was right. I needed to stay true to who and what I was writing style-wise. And I did even when it was unpopular.

All this to say, writing is subjective. Trends come and go. But your writing voice is uniquely you! Remain true to it. Understand that the trends may force you to wait on the perfect time, but publishing trends are like a giant wheel. What is on top today will be on the bottom in a year. It will work its way back to the top. Until then, learn the craft. Learn to tell a good story. Practice writing in other genres, but stay true to yourself and your writing style. You may cluck gently for a couple of years, but one day you will open up and crow! Then there’ll be no question about who you are writing-wise.

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conference teacher. Having served for a number of years as a managing editor for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas and Ironstream Media, Cindy now works as a mentor, coach, and freelance editor. She is the co-founder of Writing Right Author Mentoring Services with Lori Marett and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Cindy is also the co-founder of Christian Devotions Ministries and www.christiandevotions.us, as well as www.inspireafire.com. Her devotions are in newspapers and magazines nationwide, and her novels have become award-winning, best-selling works. She is a popular speaker at conferences and a natural encourager. Cindy is a mountain girl, born and raised in the Appalachian mountains, where she and her husband still reside. She has raised four sons and now resorts to raising chickens where the pecking order is easier to manage. You can visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com or www.wramsforwriters.com.