By Jesaka Long
As a writer, I have multiple personalities. Maybe it's because I have different voices, or maybe it's because my one voice likes to play dress up. Or maybe it's because I can mimic other voices. It's all of the above. Seriously.
The last few years, I've kept my rent paid and my cabinets stocked with corporate copywriting gigs. This is where I do my best mimicking: I can write just like a CEO, marketing chief or VP of operations speaks. I have an ear for voices and dialects, so it's easy to me to ghostwrite for other people. It's also easy for me to pick up the sound of a company, be it stoically straightforward or effusively wacky.
With the ability to write in other voices, some days I worry about losing my own unique style and sound. When I switch from marketing copy to writing my personal essays, it can take me a while to clear my mind and focus on.
So how does a writer develop her or his own voice?
Blog. Our very own Urban Muse Writer has said it herself: blogging gives you an opportunity to practice your writing on a regular basis. And practicing is the best way to improve your writing, which will help you develop (or even discover) your voice.
Read. Don't try to write like someone else – unless you're being paid to temporarily adopt that voice. Figure out what makes that voice unique. Is it the sentence structures? The choice of words? A certain approach to descriptions? Think about how you can adapt these same tools in your writing.
Find a writing group. If you can get your prose into the hands of a people who aren't shy about sharing your opinions, you have struck gold. Multiple sources of feedback provide a good sense of how others "hear" you. It can also help you identify your weak points. And ask lots of questions. If someone in your group claims, "This sounds like you!" ask them to tell you why – in detail.
Write. (See also blog.)
Mimic your speaking voice. It may not be the voice that's going to get your book published or get you into magazines, but it's a great starting point. One of my favorite blogs is written by someone I've known all my life. She's not a professional writer but she's done such a great job of developing the whole blog around her voice that most of her posts sounds like she speaks.
Let your voice dress up (or down). Susan Shapiro mentions her women's magazine voice in her book ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR WORD: WRITING LESSONS FROM MY FAVORITE LITERARY GURUS. Her women's magazine voice has the same straightforwardness as her memoir, but there's still a distinct difference from what you "hear" in the book. But both voice sound like the same person and are distinctively Susan. How do you sound when you're hanging out with your best friends on a relaxed Saturday night? Probably quite different than when you're dressed to impress your boss (or your boss's boss) at work! Now practice writing in these variations of your voice.
An engaging, distinct voice is one of the best assets any writer can have. It's what will get you noticed – and keep your readers hooked.
Jesaka Long is a full-time freelance writer, editor and born storyteller with a gift for making even the most mundane "eat-your-vegetables" messages seem savory, sweet and tangy. She lives in Denver and you can find her online at www.jesakalong.com