Writing voice vs how you write
If you’ve been writing for a little - or a long - while, you know a writing voice is not your speaking voice - although it might resemble it somewhat. Moreover, the way you form and structure sentences is the 'how' you write, and not the ‘what’. Your voice is a combination of the language you use - formal or informal language, choice of words, etc. - the ideas you have - wild ideas and every day ideas - and the values you hold.
Personally, I’ve found the values component is crucial. Copy writers will know this: a good copy writer can communicate the values of an organisation or another person, sometimes without being a part of the organisation - and needless to say they cannot be another person.
When you are writing ‘on behalf’ of yourself, the idea is that, through reading your content, people familiarise themselves with your voice, they recognise it, and they come back for more - if they like it, that is.
A voice can be developed organically, through many years of writing and figuring out your style, or as a ‘formal’ voice, like when a company develops their voice and tone to use in their communications.
As an example, just by reading these paragraphs you’ve already gotten the hang of what my voice is. You might even feel like you know me a little bit.
How does one develop their own voice?
Let’s go back to the values. If you value openness and honesty, you might write in a way that’s vulnerable and shows a lot of yourself. In practice you’d write what you’re really thinking or you’d be reflective about yourself.
If you listen to yourself talking to others and/or ask people for feedback on how you sound, or what stands out when you talk, then you figure out how your verbal communication comes across. This can be a helpful starting point when starting to write in your voice.
Your voice will only be developed through practice. If you write often enough, a natural style will develop, one that feels really you. Alternatively, if you’re looking to develop a voice that’s different to who you are - or if you’re not sure who you really are yet, which is common and probably a topic for another post - you can have a goal in mind of how you want to come across, and work towards it with your language.
Why is figuring out your voice useful?
It’s like taking a stance on something. You want other people to know where you stand because it creates predictability, which then leads to trust.
When you figure out your voice, and use it often, communication becomes easier, written and verbal. It might even lead to some interesting self-discovery.
Okay, that’s a bit of a jump…
Well, not really. Writing is a highly reflective process, not bound by many rules - if you’re writing for creative purposes, that is. You can experience numerous moments of discovery when you’re writing. Whether it’s what you wrote, or how you wrote it, written language is a highly powerful self-discovery tool. More on that soon.
Have you ever thought about your voice?
Do you know your own voice, and how would you say you’ve developed it? Comments are welcome and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
And, if you’ve made it this far, thanks for believing it would be worth it.