How to Find Your Real Voice
The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.
— Sarah Ban Breathnach
We are the storyteller everyone awaits — the party begins when we show up, tell our stories, reveal our marvelous self and hold up the mirror for others.
At least that’s what we promise ourselves will happen when we finally find our real writing voice, the one where we write down words, readers show up to marvel at our stories.
Until then, we’ll futz and fuss, wander and moan through our work, our chores, our errands, and whatever else gets in the way of our writing. Days will be unending misery as we ache to find our writer’s voice, discover our muse, and write in torrents of creative, brilliant frenzy.
All we need is to have our WRITER VOICE identified, developed, and ready to use.
Yup, once we’ve got that, there will be no stopping us!
Story ideas will erupt, words will tumble out in productive, creative froth — and they will all be good. No, not just good. Great. They will be great, the stories and ideas that the world needs desperately, that will solve important mysteries, plumb the depths, chasms, glories of what it means to be human. And we will be the author who delivers that story like Prometheus bringing fire to humankind. And the world will be saved.
That’s what some would like us to believe.
Guides, gurus, and pundits need you to believe that there is that singular, powerful voice that only you possess. If they are to be powerful, influential, and solvent, you must buy into the idea of voice being this magnificent entity that shines, powerful and true, inviolate and patiently awaiting discovery.
If only it were that easy.
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I once knew a woman who loved to sing, but refused to sing because she knew her voice wasn’t good. There was nothing wrong with her voice. She was tone deaf which added challenge, but did not mean that she couldn’t sing, couldn’t enjoy what she most longed to do.
My father loved to sing. He loved to sing, so he sang, his deep rumbling bass shaking rafters, startling anyone nearby — because he was profoundly tone deaf. He knew, but he didn’t care. No one else had to like it or declare it good. He loved to sing, so he sang.
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Write if you want to write.
It doesn’t have to be good. In fact, when you start, don’t judge. Simply write.
You don’t have to share it unless you want to. Destroy it, if you want to.
But if you want to write, write.
And if you continue to want to write, keep writing.
Do not be afraid. Do not get mired in evaluating your work against those who have practiced writing craft for years.
Read.
Read lots — and lots of different work. Dive into poetry, stories, novels, articles, essays, opinion pieces, blog posts, whatever by whomever. Go deep, go wide, and keep going. This will nourish your voice, develop your craft.
You might discover that you’re imitating others, picking up taut Raymond Chandler, elegant Austen, wise Anne Tyler. No matter. You admire them. You’ll learn from this as long as you keep learning, developing, exploring. Play with it, enjoy it, figure out what you like and do more of that.
The solution to aping the style and voice of another writer is not to stop reading, but to read more and write more. You will absorb what works for you. It will enrich and deepen your own voice.
Ah, there it is.
Your own voice.
It’s not something you discover. Your voice becomes clear, strong, unique through heartfelt, intelligent practice.
If you want to find your writer’s voice, write.
Keep writing.
Read.
Write some more.
Voice is not a static, unchanging thing. It doesn’t lay somewhere sparkling, waiting for you to trip over it.
Your voice is alive. It is responsive to active development. Your life, your experience, your education nurture it, support it, allow it to be its most dynamic, wild and wonderful self.
Start with a journal, something private maybe, work your way up to it — like singing to yourself in the shower. One day you might find yourself belting out a song out with others.
To the woman who shared that she wanted to write, but didn’t have her writer voice yet: I heard a very strong, very wistful writer voice. Her voice is alive and well. Let it out, let it develop, suck in great heaving gasps of fresh air, and sing some more….
