Have you ever heard the well-meaning blogging advice that you need to find your voice?
Does that confuse the heck out of you? Or, make you want to chug a bottle of wine, hoping that you’ll find your voice at the bottom?
When I first started blogging, I stumbled upon post after post where each person promised that if you find your voice, your blog would succeed. But, no one was sharing the secret on how you actually find it.
Did you have to stare at your screen for hours? Did you have to journal every morning? Did it require meditation or giving up your first born?
If you’re at a loss on how to find your voice, watch today’s video. I’m going to tell you the truth as well as give you lots of examples that show you what it means to use your voice in your writing.
Want to check out the examples I used in the video? Here they are:
The Middle Finger Project, Creature Comforts, Kelly Rae Roberts, Susannah Conway, Danielle LaPorte, Kris Carr, The Happiness Project, When I Grow Up Coach
You are sooooo write. Everyone loves cupcakes these days. I wonder why? But it’s made me want to love something even more. Still looking. I need to place an ad, “Mayi is on the hunt for her new favorite drug. Cupcakes not welcomed.”
I think that so many people use the cupcake example because of YOU. You’re the one who made it “famous” for sure!!! 🙂
I wrote a blog post about voice recently and one thing I mentioned was everyone talking about cupcakes. But you can tell when it’s heart centred and when people are just saying it because they think they should.
I’ve talked about people who drop the f-bomb too. Some people do it because they think that makes them a rebel in their ‘field’. Ah… No. I steered away from The Middle Finger Project for a long time because of that but have recently fallen in love with her blog. Down to the point writing with a mix of ‘you can do this’ and tough love. Her interview with Srini at Blogcast FM is fantastic.
I love Kelly Rae’s writing. There is a calm, encouraging soul to it. I have found for a long time that I was putting my words through the washing machine before I put them on my blog. I’m finally starting to write how I talk and letting my slightly odd phrasing come out more. I think sometimes we over edit a blog post and we edit ourselves completely out of the picture which makes it sound like any bozo could have written it. My pledge today – no more over editing!
Yes, that’s definitely true. Also, I think some people seeing something work for someone {like Mayi and her love of cupcakes} so they use it, too. I don’t think they’re doing it maliciously like, “Hahahahaha…I’m gonna steal your stuff.” They just want to be using the cool lingo.
It can also be the other way around with editing. Some people write kinda like they were taught in school and the first draft is really boring. They need to go back in and spice it up with examples and words that are unique to them. Either way, I think it’s important to edit your work so it becomes more you–not less you.
Love all the examples April! You are so right when you say we don’t need to “find our voice” as we already have a voice.
The challenge for so many is that we’ve been taught how to write at school. How to structure sentences etc … when in reality, when it comes to your business it’s usually totally irrelevant!
It’s often a daunting process to find a way to release your voice in your writing but the best way is to practice! Write if no one is ever going to read it, write like you are singing in the shower or dancing with reckless abandon in your bedroom! I’ve had people tell me, in their words what they do, or what they feel about something to help my gorgeous peoples unlock their true voice (call recorder comes in super handy at the point!)
Fantabulous review of some seriously awesome writing!
Thanks Ameena!!!
YES! I have to hold my hand up high for that one, because that’s exactly what I was doing at first. I wrote as if my high school english teacher was going to mark it up with a red pen.
It is daunting. When editing, I always look for ways to make the writing more me. I try to edit out cliches, and use examples that are unique to my life and personality.
And, sometimes, you do need to speak it out loud…I do that when I’m stuck.
Thanks for showing us so many examples…and ones that are different from each other. It took me a while to get comfortable writing the way I talk. I have 10 years of medical writing experience, so at first I sounded very technical and stuffy! I know I’m on the right track when my readers and clients say they thought of what I would say in their situation and they’re right! It usually involves the word “anyhoo”…
Hahahahahaha…yes, I totally understand. After getting my master’s degree at NYU {which entailed writing a TON of papers}, my writing definitely needed a dash of fun–or more like a couple heaps of fun added. 🙂
Um, this is just such a gift. THANK YOU for including me here, April, with these other *writers*. Like, *writer-writers*. I often don’t see myself in that way, although I know my writing touches/resonates with others, and seeing you get specific as to what reached out to you just made my day.
So appreciative!
Yay!!!! You’re so welcome. I definitely include you as a writer writer. 🙂
Your writing always stands out to me as unique. It really feels as if you’re a friend talking to me when I read your posts!
I love that you did this!
<3
Thank you!!!
Helpful. VERY helpful!