At last! Finally, we have reached the final installment in my series on author voice. We’ve learned what voice is, the different types of voice, the elements of voice, and how to (maybe) identify your voice.
But maybe you didn’t have an ah-ha moment of, “Yes, this is my voice!”
Probably because there is no such thing.
Voice is too vaguely indefinable and it is always changing because we, as people and as writers, are always changing. Like whenever I watch a lot of British TV I start saying, “Good on you!” and “That’s totally pants.”
But hopefully you have a few clues.
Now I’m going to give you some tricks, tips, and exercise designed to help you really pull your voice out of hiding and smack it on the page.
Perfection is the Enemy
Grammar doesn’t have to be perfect, don’t obsess over every little comma and adverb (especially in the first draft). Understand why the rules are there but don’t be afraid to break them if it serves your style.
Read Aloud
Listen to your own voice. Your writing voice should feel as natural as your verbal one. Reading your words out loud will make things that don’t “sound like you” stand out like a swordfish at a Sunday brunch.
Challenge Yourself
Just like the New Sandbox exercise from the last part, everything you try outside your comfort zone will help you find your voice. Try flash fiction challenges and writing prompts. Follow where the inspiration leads.
Play Games
Mix things up from your normal routine. Set a timer, which will make you write faster and give you less time to think. Use John August’s Writer Emergency Pack, where you draw a card and integrate the idea on the card into your scene.
My Hero Agenda writing partner Tracy Deebs loves the list 10 things method, where anytime you’re stuck you list ten possible things that could happen. Somewhere after the first few, you will find options that really come from your core.
Read Widely
I said it previously, but it bears repeating. Read, read, read. Especially outside your favorite genres. We get into reading ruts just like anything else, so trying something completely new and different just might give you a new insight into your voice.
Competency Leads to Confidence
The less you are worried about the words, the easier your voice will shine through. And the only way to get confident is to write, write, write. While the 10,000-hour rule might be a questionably specific number, becoming completely proficient with any skill requires time, effort, and practice.
Get Out of Your Own Way
All of the things listed above have one thing in common: they are designed to bypass your logical frontal lobe and let the voice at your creative core shine through. Every writer plays tricks with themselves to get the words on the page. To really elevate your voice to the highest level, you have to tap into that core. Run face-first into fear, write things you are afraid to write, follow the muse, and above all… write.
What Really Matters
I’ve mentored many writers over the years—sometimes in official programs, sometimes informally. Some have had phenomenal stand-out voices, some had solid voices that didn’t get in the way to the story, and some have had painfully overworked voices that won’t let the reader see the story for the craft.
Those in the last category usually have to learn how to relax in their writing enough to let the story shine through before they find any sort of industry success. But between the other two, honestly there is only one difference between those who have become published and those who haven’t:
The successful ones write. They keep writing. And they write again.
All the voice in the world doesn’t matter if you don’t use it. If you don’t finish your story and let it out into the world, it might as well be a dream stuck in your head. Writers write. Successful writers keep writing. That is all.
If you have any thoughts or questions about this series of posts on voice, don’t hesitate to pop them into comments below. Or, as always, you can submit a question at teralynnchilds.com/ask if you want me to answer your question in my next Ask the Author video.
The Entire Voice Series:
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