Authenticity and Writing
To be authentic, you must be vulnerable
The writer’s voice is the icing on the cake that makes your writing yours. A bit of your culture here, a bit of your personality there, and a bit of your story there to stir the perfect piece of writing that no one else can produce.
All this time, I’ve thought of ‘the writer’s voice’ as the ‘me’ in writing. My story, personality, and culture. Honesty has never stricken me as part of the writer’s voice.
As I was writing a piece on ‘The Greater Good,’ something popped into my mind. I was hesitant to add my voice (honesty) and my unique perspective to the topic.
I wanted to add my opinion and perspective to make the story unique, but I couldn’t help but notice I was very doubtful because I was scared of revealing my inner thoughts. I was afraid of being judged for the opinions I had.
That’s the scariest thing about writing. To be authentic, you must be vulnerable and reveal the deepest parts of yourself. It takes courage to do that, especially when writing about polarizing issues. It’s the equivalence of walking down a street naked, showing too much of myself, as Neil Gaiman describes it.
As I was writing that piece, I could feel the disparagement within myself. A disagreement with everything I was writing. Not because it was wrong, immoral, or radical in any way, but rather because I didn’t believe that what I was writing was true.
So how do you know that you’re being authentic? How do you know that you’re writing is true?
I’ve learned to detect my inauthenticity and incongruence by being conscious of my body’s reaction when I write and speak. It’s an idea I’ve learned from reading and listening to Jordan Peterson and Carl Rogers. Dr. Peterson describes it as feeling weak and a sense of betrayal when you write and speak about things that are not your own.
One of the fastest ways to filter out what you believe from what you don’t is by assuming that everything you believe in and all the perceptions you have are not your own. Listen to what you say and write, especially issues and beliefs that you identify with.
After trying out this for a few days, I find myself less opinionated because now I am conscious that most of my opinions are not my own. I got them from school, my parents, my culture, the media, and many other influences.
I’ve heard many writers describe this consciousness, but I’ve just now understood it. It makes hitting the publish button scarier and more exciting at the same time.
