5 Tips for Developing Your Writer’s Voice

by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen @ Quips and Tips

Successful writers need their own voice and style – because brilliant ideas alone don’t a solid writing career make! These five tips for developing your writer’s voice will improve your writing skills and increase your confidence.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with voice because I think that’s why my agent hasn’t scored me a book contract yet. My ideas are great, but my voice needs work (ouch). Here’s what I’ve learned about writing style and voice — but first, a quip!

Confident writers have the courage to speak plainly; to let their thoughts shine rather than their vocabulary. ~ Ralph Keyes.

Don’t write to impress, fellow scribes. Write to connect. Your voice builds a bridge to your reader; it’s your fingerprint, it’s your individual writing style, and it gives your writing soul. For more in-depth info, click on The Writer’s Voice by A. Alvarez. And, read on for five tips for developing your writer’s voice….

5 Tips for Developing Your Writer’s Voice

“Style is an expression of self, and [writers] should turn resolutely away from all devices that are popularly believed to indicate style – all mannerisms, tricks, and adornments,” write Strunk and White in The Elements of Style. The only trick to developing your style or voice is to relax and let it flow…

1. Follow your literary hunches

In an article about menopause for alive magazine, I used the phrases “the crimson tide” and “Aunt Flo” instead of “your period.” I hesitated at first (would readers get it? is it too casual for a health magazine?), but decided to let it rip – and the editor emailed to say she loved those particular phrases! Taking risks when you write will help you find your voice and trust your hunches (even when your hunches are wrong).

2. Learn the difference between good writing and voice

Developing your writer’s voice doesn’t mean you can wax eloquent for hours, ignore punctuation, or forget about editing. Learning and practicing the rules of good writing can free your voice. “As you become proficient in the use of language, your style will emerge,” write Strunk and White in The Elements of Style, “because you yourself will emerge…” The more comfortable you are with the rules for good writing, the more your voice will shine.

3. Stop comparing yourself to other writers

You have natural strengths and weaknesses — and so do other writers. Comparing how you write or your writer’s voice to other writers – whether they’re Anne Lamott or the blogger next door – is destructive and stifling. Admire other writers’ styles. Nurture your own. To develop your confidence, read one of my favorite posts on Quip & Tips for Successful Writers: 13 Tips to Improve Your Writing Confidence.

4. Put envy to work

If you wrestle with the green-eyed monstor from time to time (oh man, I know I do!), learn how to harness that energy. Jealousy can work in your favor by showing you what you really want. Read Making Envy Work for You on my See Jane Soar blog to learn about healthy envy.

5. Picture one specific reader

A publishing house asked me to rewrite a few sample chapters of See Jane Soar; they specifically asked me to make my writing more edgy and quirky. I tried, but it didn’t fly. I was too focused on trying to impress the publishers with my great writer’s voice and wit! I hadn’t learned the technique of picturing one specific reader — one that I’m not trying to impress – and simply writing to her/him. That publisher rejected the book, and I started learning the importance of voice.

Your writer’s voice can’t be learned. It has to be freed.

What say you, fellow scribes, about your writer’s voice? I welcome your thoughts below!