Writer's spend a lot of time discovering their voice. They experiment with word choice, cadence, and pacing. Voice is what makes writing unique.
Not just writers need a unique voice. Everyone does. Every day. What does your voice sound like? Do you use strong words? Do you whisper in response? Let's say a friend cancels plans with you. What's the first thing you say? Or a friend walked right past you, ignoring you, as if you weren't there. How would you react? What words would you use? What if a friend pushed you because they were mad?
What if you don't know what to say? Do the right words present themselves to you at a later time? Do you play the scene round and round in your head wishing the ride would stop so you could get off? Probably, right? You need a journal.
Write it down: your thoughts, feelings, expressions, the good comebacks you didn't think of earlier. If you're sad, write it. Mad, write it. Happy, write it. Include the things you like about yourself too. Use your journal to discover your voice. Your writing voice and your real voice. Take it with you and write about what you see, hear, smell. Write about where you are and where you want to go. Ask questions. Dig deep. Your journal is a safe place to spend time with your private voice. No one is judging you, correcting your grammar. No worries.
Love the new look, Stacey. (Just did the same at my blog. Think our tastes are similar.) Kudos to putting together a post re: voice. It's a topic I'd love to cover but can't seem to tackle. Keep at it, writer-friend. You've been missed!
ReplyDeleteI like your new blog look. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm one of those people who can't think of the best response until hours later and I've thought and thought about it. I write the same way. Lots of thinking and agonizing over the right words. *sigh*