Finding Your Writer’s Voice

 

By Andrea Merrell

As writers, sometimes our greatest struggle is finding our voice, our own unique style of writing. Our voice consists of many elements including:

• 
  How we turn a phrase. 
  
• Our sense of humor.
• How we think.
• How we see the world.
• How we relate to others.

According to one source:

Voice can be a combination of your writing tone, sentence structure, patterns, and perspective. It is a stamp on your writing that makes your work personal and recognizable, so much so that your audience can identify a sample of writing as yours without ever seeing your name.*

Can you relate? Do you have a favorite author whose words you can easily recognize? I have many writer friends who have a special and unique gift. One writes with heart. Her words are woven together like a beautiful tapestry and make you feel as if you’ve just had a taste of heaven. Another writes with a quirky sense of humor, making you feel as if all is right with the world. Another captures the essence of the Appalachian culture and flawlessly draws the reader in. And yet another presents Southern fiction is such a way that you feel deeply immersed in the story.

Two of the biggest hindrances to finding our voice are:

• Trying to emulate others (if I could only write like …).
• Trying to heed the advice of too many and please everyone else. Advice and encouragement are important, but we should never allow someone to change our voice and have us say things in a way we never would.

Whenever I write—and whatever I write—I strive to be transparent. To be real. To make my words relevant and relatable, always flavored with a dash of humor.

Have you found your voice or are you still searching? The best advice is to be yourself. Be inspired by others, but develop your own style. Don’t ever lose your uniqueness by trying to be something or someone you’re not.

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

*Quote by Alexa Martin: The Importance of Discovering Your Voice as a Writer. Penguinrandomhouse.com.