The tv was on as I was clearing the breakfast dishes and filling the dishwasher this morning. Even with my back to the tv, I could tell who was speaking, the moderators of the news show as well as their oft-appearing guests. Every one of us has a distinctive voice. Just as our facial features are all different, so are our voices.
I've written about our writer's voice many times. For those who aren't sure what that is: a writer's voice is his/her style of writing. It's their own unique way of putting words together so that the readers hear it.
It takes a while for a beginning writer to develop a true voice. It's then that new writers are trying out different ways of writing or trying to write like someone they admire. Your writing voice should not be like that of any other person. It's should be yours alone. Think of it as your trademark.
Consider a handful of your favorite authors. When you read multiple books by an author, you know what his/her voice is like. You recognize the style of writing. The way he/she puts the words together.
Think about your writing voice as coming from your personality traits. We all have different personal characteristics, and they will emerge as you write, too.
If a writer always uses short, choppy sentences, he/she gets known for that. The same with those whose sentences are what feels like miles long. It's their way of writing.
The freewrite exercise is a good one to allow your inner voice to be set free. When you freewrite, writing for ten or more minutes without stopping, letting your fingers fly over the keyboard without giving thought to what you're writing--that's a wonderful way to let your true voice come out.
Don't try to be someone else when you write. No matter how much you admire that other writer, you're far better to develop your own way of writing. Let your writers know that it's you who is writing and no one else.
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