Finding your unique writing voice

“You don’t find your voice. You use it, and that’s how you find it.” — Austin Kleon

There’s a lot of confusion around voice in writing.

Many think that to stand out, you must find a voice with which you write, and then that’s it. That’s the voice. That’s the end.

I’ve searched for my voice for fifteen years and haven’t really found it.

My writing is comprised of many different voices depending on the nature of the topic, my mood, and whether I’ve drunk my morning coffee.

Here’s the thing. As you write more, you will develop a writing style that people begin to associate with you. That’s great. You will get to a point where, if you were to anonymously share your writing, many would be able to recognise this as yours.

The issue lies in trying to force your writing voice.

This won’t come, because your voice emerges naturally when you are in the throes of enjoying yourself and in flow. You aren’t trying to write like you wrote four months ago. That only leads to stunted and awkward try-hard writing that won’t interest anyone.

So, to get to a point where people can sense the essence of your writing, which is part of a strong brand, you want to infuse play into your writing practice.

This means loosening up and writing about what you’re passionate about.

It’s about choosing to enjoy yourself as you write, rather than trying to write like you assume you should. It’s about not censoring yourself (and leaving that, if needed, to the editing phase). For now, you want to write like no one’s watching.

Experiment with different personas.

Maybe you’re writing about something you see as an injustice in the world, and you adopt your slightly mad uncle persona. For another piece, you play around with a more calm monk from the Andes writing approach.

The funny thing is, when you experiment with different characters and have fun, your authentic vibe will come through. This will likely evolve over time as your own story develops. People will, however, still sense it’s you orchestrating the whole thing at the core.

So, when people say you need to find your writing voice, they’re really saying that you need to find a way to cause a ruckus in your writing. To let go.

To show the world how much fun you’re having when you write.

. . .

*The above is an excerpt from my latest book, ‘The Never-Retired Writer: How to Turn Your Ideas Into a Life of Freedom, Income, and Purpose,‘ releasing in a few weeks.

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