How to Find Your “Voice” and Ideal Writing Workflow

All the slightly varied definitions of what a “voice” is, especially in the realm of writing (creative or otherwise), agree on one thing: uniqueness.

By default, you are one of a kind, regardless of all the similarities that abound in human nature and society. Your unique mix of internal and external experiences, your choices, curated tastes, inherent proclivities, upbringing, mental and physical attributes, and so forth, all contribute to a life that no one else will ever live.

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You’re special, it’s undeniable, but does your work say so?

Do you have a voice that is refreshing and immediately recognizable, or do you sound like a million other writers on the internet who are bogged down by the illusion of “rigid” rules?

If your answer is no, you can breathe easy. We’re here to help!

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How to Find Your Voice as a Writer

First, you need to acknowledge that your voice is not something you “invent”. It’s something you uncover the more you write. And you must, write that is. It is by doing so frequently that borrowed cadence and style fall away to reveal authenticity. There’s no shortcut and definitely no template. There are, however, some activities that can help set you on the right path.

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1. Write like you speak: the fastest way to honest work is to strip away jargon and niceties, and try talking directly to your reader. Consider, for a moment, that your reader was across from you, listening as you spoke/wrote. How would you pass your message across? Some writers are naturally economical: they, for better or worse, prioritize conciseness. Others may be more colloquial, always drawn to the dramatic, to winding paths where they invite you to sit and smell the flowers for a moment before making their point. One isn’t better than the other; they’re just different. And different is good.

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2. Experiment with tone: One way to learn what your voice is is to discover what it isn’t. Try writing the same piece with different tones. Start casual, conversational, even. Then try being a little formal. Add flair, lean into the dramatic. Pull back and be simple, straightforward. Examine how each feels. Yes, it sounds a little abstract, but that is the industry we play in. There’s no objective framework to measure your “voice” against. When you know, you know.

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\ Uncovering your voice insists that you develop an understanding of who you are, and what “feels” right, honest. Experimenting with different styles exposes you to a world of possibilities. You may find, on your journey, that you feel your truest self at the intersection of a myriad of styles, with your own little twists stitched in. Or you might discover a way to elevate a specific style beyond what’s currently attainable. Whatever it is, if you’re true to yourself, it will show in your work.

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1. Look for patterns: This is basically a continuation of the previous point. As you experiment, over time, you will inevitably start to notice curious patterns. You might discover an affinity for metaphors or decide that similes are the superior figure of speech, enough to infuse your words with the magic they need. Certain sentence structures may keep reappearing in your drafts, almost like muscle memory. Maybe you love short, punchy lines. Maybe you favor long, winding paragraphs. These recurring habits are the building blocks of your voice. Once you see them clearly, you can choose to sharpen them, subvert them, or double down on them.

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:::tip Bottom line: Work on the craft of writing, but make sure to always do so in a way that feels truest to who you are.

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\ That said, finding your voice is one thing, but building a workflow that keeps you writing, even on the days you don’t feel like it, is another challenge altogether, especially if you’re just starting out.

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Fear not, the HackerNoon Blogging Course is here!

Curated by an editorial team that has reviewed and published over 150,000+ drafts from contributors worldwide, this course will teach you everything you need to know about writing with personality and building a workflow that fits into your life as it is. And that’s just in the first of eight modules.

\ Ready to become a writer readers can’t forget?

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:::tip Sign up for the HackerNoon Blogging Course today!

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