Does Your Writing Have a Voice or Are You Just a Mime, Mimicking the Shapes of Others?

There is no new thing under the sun…

Let us marinate for a second on a quote that has been around for centuries and very often regurgitated in some form or another by many people, including U.S. presidents:

“That thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun.” Eccles. 1:9

Whether you subscribe to the origins of this quote or not is beside the point. It brings up an interesting question: If there is nothing new under the sun, how can I be original; how do I develop a unique voice?

Let’s imagine that there is a word called “originality” and that this word exists within this “no new thing under the sun” kind of world; it must stand to reason that it has its proper place or it wouldn’t exist. Therefore, originality is separate from “new things” and is akin to voice. We can say that despite there never being anything new, there are many voices we can give to this infinite and always present ocean of possibilities. Perhaps it can be related to the difference between the human body and the soul (whatever that may mean to you).

Without delving deeper into the mist, let’s just stop here and say: Originality, and therefore voice, exists in a world where there is nothing new under the sun.

With that being said, how do we harness this unique and marvelously original voice we all possess?

Question yourself

There are some key things you can ask yourself to determine whether or not you’re living up to your own expectations:

1. Who am I writing for? Who is my audience?
   You must get to know your audience.
2. Do I provide value?
   Providing value is key to the health and longevity of both your writing and blogging ventures; everything from productivity blogs that help us eliminate the nonsense, to fantasy novels that delight our imaginations and spark our creativity.
3. What do I do differently than others?
   Do you release your novels as free podcasts first? Have you decided not to use AdSense on your blog? ;o)
4. Do I have memorable personality triggers?
   Do you mention dogs in everything you write? Do you post anime pictures with every blog entry? What makes someone say “Oh yeah, I know who that is.”
5. Would I read my own writing?
   If you can’t stomach proof reading your own stuff because it bores the crap out of you, you’re doing something wrong.

Elements of voice

Personality

We all have distinctive quirks and idiosyncrasies. They’re a cumulation of social interactions with our close peer groups, our families and the locale in which we live. Use that to your advantage. Don’t forget that just because you and your friends refer to beautiful women as “dimes”, doesn’t mean everyone else does.

Spelling & Grammar

Boring, right? Yeah, it can be sometimes, but isn’t it so much easier to read something that actually makes sense on a consistent basis? Don’t we relate quality and usefulness to well edited and worded writing? There’s a reason we pay editors to go over our books before printing.

If you take the time to work on this, you begin to gain confidence in your writing and it resonates through your words.

Visual Elements

• Typography - Bold, italic, cursive, pencil, pen, font, etc.
• Layout - Double-spaced, single spaced, to blockquote or not to blockquote, line-spacing, etc.
• Images - Do you scribble little stick figures for every blog post? YouTube videos? Stunning photography?

All of these and more contribute to your collective voice. Don’t get tied up and not write because you can’t decide whether red or green text looks better, but don’t neglect it either.

Developing your voice

Reading as Much as Possible

Don’t limit yourself to just one or two genres; venture outside of your comfort zone. It helps you develop a wider range of abilities. Study what makes other people stand out to you. Ask the questions above about the people you admire and see what you come up with.

Write from Your Passions

If you don’t love it, it probably won’t last, and if it does, it isn’t going to be very unique. Stop writing what you think other people want to hear, and start writing what makes you come alive inside and simply tailor that to your audience.

Write from Your Experience

The things we experience and the way we view them are unique to each individual. Always remember that you are an authority on your own experience. Don’t let anybody ever tell you differently.

Become Your Nemesis

If you’re a soul-hardened atheist, write from the perspective of a desert-wandering mystic. If you’re a rich aristocrat, become a lowly beggar sleeping in the gutters and living amongst the dregs of society.

Challenge yourself. Become what you hate, fear, loath and misunderstand. You’ll find new ways of looking at the world…a new voice will sing in your ears.

Fear is Your Ally

Fear is a funny thing. It can alter, stifle, and end our lives on one end of the spectrum; yet on the other, it can be our biggest motivator and the greatest indicator that we are following the right path.

Every piece of prose that has struck a chord deep within your heart, moved you beyond words, and transported your mind through dreams you previously thought inaccessible, has boiling within its core, one form of fear or another.

When your hands are shaking and your heart is a caged beast thunderously screaming to be set free, keep writing. You’re on the right track. Soon you’ll be addicted to that feeling.

Never Become Complacent

If it isn’t challenging, it’s boring. Useless repetition. And very soon, you will quit. Everything in life is either growing or standing still. If you’re standing still, you might as well be dead, because you will be soon.

If you’ve come to a point where you feel secure and don’t want to jeopardize that, just remember :

“Life is perverse in the sense that, the more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire.” - Brian Tracy

So seek opportunity and leave complacency in the dust.

Benefits of having a unique voice

• You’ll achieve “leader” status much quicker.
• People will look up to you and often cherish your opinion.
• Your blog, website and/or books will quickly become an authority in your given field.
• People will remember you when they need your specialties.
• You’ll radiate confidence by knowing you’ve said what you needed to say and you did it with style.

Remember, leaders have a strong, unique voice; followers are left scrounging for originality while drowning in the bowl of those they admire. Take a deep breath and let your voice ring loud and true.

How did you find your voice? Or have you? How do you keep it fresh and vibrant?