How To Find Your Writing Voice

Learn what writing voice is, how to find yours, and how to develop a distinctive voice that makes your writing stand out.

What Is Your Writing Voice?

Your writing voice is your writing personality. It is a unique, authentic, and consistent writing style that belongs to you.

Your voice comes through in the words you choose, the way you construct sentences, the details you notice, and the way you tell a story. It reflects your point of view, experiences, sense of humour, and attitude towards the world.

A strong writing voice feels natural and authentic. Readers become familiar with it and recognise something distinctive in it. You don’t need to use complicated words or clever sentences to develop a memorable voice. The simplest writing can have the strongest personality.

Tip: Don’t confuse voice with tone or style. Your voice is your personality expressed in your writing. Your tone is your attitude expressed in a piece of writing. Your style includes the choices you make about language, sentence structure, and presentation. Your tone and style can change, but your underlying voice remains the same.

How To Find Your Writing Voice

Practice makes perfect. If you want to write books, aim to write for 10,000 hours or work towards writing a million words. The more you write, the more comfortable you will become with your own voice. Good writing courses and workbooks can help you develop your skills and make the most of your voice.

Here are five ways to find and develop your writing voice.

1. Write Regularly

The more you write, the more you learn about yourself as a writer. Establish a writing routine and experiment with different subjects, genres, and formats. Give yourself permission to write badly—while you discover what works.

2. Read Widely

Read books by different authors. Look at how they use language, build sentences, create characters, and tell stories in scenes. Pay attention to the voices you enjoy reading. Learn from them and discover which techniques work for you. Tip: The books you most like to read may point to your voice.

3. Experiment With Your Writing

Try writing in first person and third person. Experiment with past and present tense. Write short stories, essays, scenes and sequels, dialogue, and descriptions. Some will feel more natural to you.

4. Write About What Interests You

Your interests, experiences, opinions, and observations all influence your writing voice. Write about subjects that make you curious or passionate. When you care about what you’re writing, your personality is more likely to come through.

5. Trust Your Instincts

Don’t try to sound like another writer or impress your readers with complicated language. Be honest about what you want to say. Edit your work, but don’t edit out your personality. The more you write, the more you will learn to ignore your inner critic.

Give Yourself The Chance To Find Your Voice

Developing your voice is part of becoming a better writer. There is no shortcut. Some writers find their voice early, while others discover it as they go along. Sometimes your voice changes as you grow as a writer. It is difficult to define, but when you begin to recognise your voice, you will know. Your readers will recognise it, too.

Examples Of Types Of Voice

1. Conversational – Nick Hornby‘s writing feels familiar, with the rhythm of someone telling you a story over coffee. (High Fidelity)
2. Lyrical – Toni Morrison‘s prose is full of imagery, rhythm, and poetic language. (Beloved)
3. Minimalist – Ernest Hemingway is known for his economical prose, short sentences, and carefully chosen details. (The Old Man And The Sea)
4. Witty – P. G. Wodehouse‘s distinctive voice uses wordplay, comic observations, and clever turns of phrase. (Right Ho, Jeeves)
5. Descriptive – Charles Dickens is known for his vivid descriptions, memorable characters, and detailed settings. (Great Expectations)

Tip: Most established authors combine several qualities to create a distinctive writing voice.

A Writing Prompt A Day

One of the best ways to find your voice is to establish a writing routine that includes a daily writing prompt. Writing prompts encourage you to experiment with different subjects and approaches. They help you develop your writing skills and discover what feels natural to you.

If you would like to receive a daily writing prompt, click here to join our mailing list. If you’re looking for unusual writing prompts, read these posts:

1. 50 Lyric Titles As Writing Prompts
2. 20 Myths To Use As Writing Prompts

The Last Word

Your writing voice is your personality on the page. It develops through practice, reading, and experimentation. Write regularly and give yourself time to discover what makes your writing uniquely yours.

Image by Valeria Reverdo on Unsplash

by Amanda Patterson
© Amanda Patterson

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