His_Master's_Voice

I was recently asked about finding your “writer’s voice” or how to develop a “writing voice.” I thought I would share my answer here in this blog.

A “writing voice” can mean different things depending on how you are thinking of the terms. When telling a story, the narrator of the story is almost another character and this is often crafted specifically for the story. Take a look at how CS Lewis speaks to the reader in the beginning of the Magician’s Nephew to get an idea. This is called “the narrator’s voice.” An internet search on this term can yield helpful results. I should mention, a “story” isn’t necessarily fiction.

Then there’s writing style. This is mostly “you” in written word. You will have a style, like a fingerprint, that is distinctly you. The more you write, the more like you this style will become. It may be good to ignore naysayers and just write what is comfortable. Finally, do you find that people listen to you when you speak? Sometimes starting with writing as you speak is a good way to find your personal style. Try recording yourself telling a story, in your own words, and then transcribe it. Of course, to turn this into writing, you’ll want to clean it up, so use it more as an exercise. I hope that helps. If you’d like, we can even spend a little time together working on these ideas. Maybe all you need is s little encouragement on your existing style.

What do you think? Do you have any better ideas or suggestions?