How to Find Your Writing Voice

Your writing voice is the way you express yourself through words. It is the distinctive personality, tone, and style that you convey in your writing. Your voice reflects who you are, what you think, and how you feel. The Ghostwriting Founder USA top leading writing and publishing agency suggest that finding your writing voice is important for writers because it helps you connect with your readers, stand out from the crowd, and showcase your creativity. Some famous writers with distinctive voices are:

Mark Twain: His voice is humorous, witty, and colloquial. He uses dialects, slang, and satire to create memorable characters and stories.
Virginia Woolf: Her voice is lyrical, poetic, and complex. She uses stream-of-consciousness, imagery, and symbolism to explore the inner lives of her characters.
Ernest Hemingway: His voice is simple, direct, and powerful. He uses short sentences, active verbs, and concrete details to create a realistic and vivid style.

In this article, you will learn how to find your writing voice by following these five steps:

Determine your point of view
Pick a consistent voice for your narrators
Think about sentence structure and word choice
Experiment with different voices and writing styles
Pay attention to yourself

Step 1: Determine your point of view

Your point of view is the perspective from which you tell your story. It is influenced by your intentions, opinions, and themes. Your point of view shapes your voice by determining what you want to say, how you want to say it, and why you want to say it. To find your point of view, you can ask yourself these questions:

What is the purpose of your writing? Is it to inform, persuade, entertain, or inspire?
What is your message or main idea? What do you want your readers to learn, feel, or do after reading your writing?
What is your tone or attitude? Is it serious, humorous, sarcastic, or passionate?
What is your genre or format? Is it fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or something else?

Step 2: Pick a consistent voice for your narrators

Your narrators are the voices that tell your story. They can be yourself, your characters, or an omniscient observer. Your narrators have their own voices that reflect their personalities, backgrounds, and emotions. Your choice of narrators affects your voice by determining who is speaking, to whom, and in what way. To pick a consistent voice for your narrators, you can choose from these common narrative perspectives:

First-person: You use “I” or “we” to tell your story from your own point of view. This perspective is personal, intimate, and subjective. It allows you to express your thoughts and feelings directly to your readers. However, it can also limit your scope and credibility, as you can only show what you know and experience.
Third-person: You use “he”, “she”, or “they” to tell your story from an outside point of view. This perspective is objective, detached, and flexible. libHowever, it can also create distance and confusion, as you have to balance multiple voices and viewpoints.
Second-person: You use “you” to tell your story from the point of view of your reader. This perspective is rare, unconventional, and interactive. It allows you to engage your reader and make them feel part of your story. However, it can also be intrusive and demanding, as you have to impose your choices and actions on your reader.

You should choose one style and stick to it throughout your writing, unless you have a good reason to switch. Mixing different perspectives can confuse your reader and weaken your voice.

Step 3: Think about sentence structure and word choice

Your sentence structure and word choice are the building blocks of your voice. They affect how your writing sounds, looks, and flows. To find your sentence structure and word choice, you can consider these elements:

Length: The length of your sentences can create different effects on your voice. Short sentences are crisp, clear, and emphatic. They can create a sense of urgency, tension, or simplicity. Long sentences are complex, elaborate, and descriptive. They can create a sense of depth, richness, or sophistication.
Rhythm: The rhythm of your sentences can create different moods and tones in your voice. Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in your words. You can use rhythm to create contrast, harmony, or emphasis in your writing. For example, you can use alliteration, assonance, or rhyme to create a musical or poetic voice. You can also use repetition, parallelism, or anaphora to create a persuasive or powerful voice.
Tone: The tone of your sentences can create different attitudes and emotions in your voice. Tone is the feeling or impression that you convey in your writing. You can use tone to express your personality, opinion, or mood in your writing. For example, you can use irony, sarcasm, or hyperbole to create a humorous or cynical voice. You can also use imagery, metaphor, or simile to create a vivid or imaginative voice.

To find your sentence structure and word choice, you can use vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation to suit your purpose, audience, and style. You can also experiment with different combinations and variations to find the best fit for your voice.

Step 4: Experiment with different voices and writing styles

One of the best ways to find your writing voice is to try different voices and writing styles. You can learn from other writers, genres, formats, and techniques to discover what works for you and what doesn’t. You can also explore your own creativity, preferences, and strengths to develop your own voice. Here are some examples of how different voices suit different types of writing:

Narrative voice: This is the voice that tells a story. It can be fictional or nonfictional, realistic or fantastical, linear or nonlinear. It can use dialogue, description, action, or exposition to move the plot forward. Some examples of narrative voice are: J.K. Rowling’s magical and whimsical voice in Harry Potter, George Orwell’s dystopian and political voice in 1984, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s multicultural and feminist voice in Americanah.
Descriptive voice: This is the voice that paints a picture. It can be factual or emotional, objective or subjective, concrete or abstract. It can use sensory details, figurative language, or mood to create a vivid impression. Some examples of descriptive voice are: Maya Angelou’s poetic and inspirational voice in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Ernest Hemingway’s simple and powerful voice in The Old Man and the Sea, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s elegant and decadent voice in The Great Gatsby.
Persuasive voice: This is the voice that makes an argument. It can be logical or emotional, formal or informal, assertive or tentative. It can use evidence, reasoning, or rhetoric to convince the reader. Some examples of persuasive voice are: Martin Luther King Jr.’s passionate and eloquent voice in I Have a Dream, Malcolm Gladwell’s insightful and engaging voice in Outliers, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s personal and humorous voice in Eat, Pray, Love.

To experiment with different voices and writing styles, you can read widely, write frequently, and get feedback. You can also challenge yourself to try new genres, formats, and techniques to expand your range and skills.

Step 5: Pay attention to yourself

The most important step to find your writing voice is to pay attention to yourself. Your writing voice is a reflection of your identity, personality, and experience. It is what makes you unique, original, and authentic. To find your writing voice, you need to listen to your instincts, emotions, and passions. You need to be honest, confident, and expressive. You need to find your own way of looking at the world and sharing it with others. Here are some tips to help you pay attention to yourself:

Write about what you know, care about, and enjoy. Write about your interests, hobbies, values, and goals. Write about your memories, dreams, and hopes. Write about what matters to you and why.
Write for yourself, not for others. Write for your own satisfaction, pleasure, and growth. Write for your own voice, not for someone else’s. Write what you want to say, not what you think others want to hear.
Write from your heart, not from your head. Write from your feelings, not from your thoughts. Write from your intuition, not from your logic. Write from your imagination, not from your reality.

Conclusion

Finding your writing voice is a journey, not a destination. It is a process, not a product. It is a discovery, not a creation. Finding your writing voice is about finding yourself, your voice, and your writing. It is about finding the best way to communicate your ideas, stories, and emotions to your readers. Finding your writing voice can help you improve your writing skills, enhance your writing quality, and enjoy your writing experience. So, what are you waiting for? Start finding your writing voice today!

How to Find Your Unique Writing Voice