- Image via Wikipedia
Figuring out what your writing voice is can be lots of fun, and when you’re writing for kids, that voice can even be silly. Yes, silly. Think about Dr. Seuss. His writing voice was distinctive and poetic and absolutely silly, though it made quite a lot of sense.
But everyone’s writing “voice” is different. Think of it like the sound you hear in your brain when reading. That’s the author’s voice.
There are obviously different types of voice, and not all voices are appropriate for all ages or purposes.
For example, when writing for kids, you want your voice or tone to be friendly and non-threatening, especially when they’re very young.
Or, if you’re writing academic works of serious nonfiction, you’ll want a more formal tone, meaning third person and no contractions.
- So, what’s your story?
- Who are you writing it for?
- What’s the purpose of the writing?
Those three things will determine the voice you should employ.
But you might want to try out a few different voices. Before you start the actual writing, you may want to try some writing samples with different tones to see which one works best for what you’re trying to do.
The only time you need to fit your voice to fit the assignment is when you’re writing for a magazine. Then, you need to read several issues of that magazine and be sure that you’ll reach the readers with the voice that you employ.
Sometimes, if you’re writing on assignment, this will also be true. For example, the last four biographies I wrote required a certain tone and I had to work to fit the mold. It took a couple of tries before the editor was happy with the voice I used.
So, it’s all relative. Voice is a distinct mark of who you are as a writer. The best writers can fit any tone to match what’s required.
Great post Pat! i used to love reading Dr. Seuss books. They never ceased to entertain me. I bet I’ve read the cat in the hat 50 times 🙂
LOL… I know. They’re funny books, even for adults. I read all of them to Shannon and she learned to read Fox in Sox first when she was four. Great for teaching kids to read and fun, too.
.There are times when blogging seems easy. Natural. Maybe even ..Other times though when its hard. Awkward. Perhaps you feel like youve become a . Or that theres nothing more you can add to the words that pour out into the blogosphere day after busy posting day..Perhaps it starts to feel like youre losing or have lost your blogging voice..I dont know if thats ever happened to you. It does to me from time to time and the last month is the hardest Ive ever found it. Hard to get back into the groove. Hard to find the way back in. Hard to re-find what it is that allows me to say remember believe that my words too count..Happily I think Im there now. How do I know? Well my unconscious mind is back waking me up in the middle of the night with brilliant ideas for posts shed like to write thank you ..And what did I do to try and get my voice back? Well mainly I waited..There were a number of other things I did too and Ive shared them below. They wont necessarily work for you but maybe some of them will help you start blogging quietly or loudly if you ever find yourself losing your blogging voice.. Write a list post.Yep it works a treat every time .Have you ever felt like you were losing or had lost your blogging voice? What worked for you to help you get it back again?.Photo credit by trifotter on Flickr..Joanna Paterson is a writer photograph and journal coach who provides resources to help people tap into the rich seam of their natural creativity and express themselves with confidence.
Hi Monex,
That’s a funny thing about the human brain. It works even when we don’t know it’s working! 🙂 Our subconscious works on things while we sleep and even while we’re doing other things. Then, it puts all the information together and comes up with a style or a solution. Mine totally works overtime because I can write with very little effort now. I can’t say it’s always been that way for me, but I’ve been at this for more than 20 years.
Yet, when I get writer’s block and don’t know what I want to write about, I read — anything I can find. Usually, it’s about the topic I’m working on. For example, here I might read a writing book. (If you’ve never read Stephen King’s book On Writing, I highly recommend it.) But you can read newspapers, novels, magazines, and they can really be on any topic. You just need to trick your brain into thinking something else. Then, it works on the stuff you really want to do. LOL… Always works for me.
Doing a different type of creative activity always helps too. I don’t have time for it like I used to, but when I was writing full time and got stuck, I’d start painting or drawing. You can listen to or make music, too. I played guitar and piano in my younger days.
So, just get your brain doing something else. It’s like watching a pot boil. You know?
Thanks for your observations!
– Pat
Its especially hard for new writers to find their writing voice because they already feel awkward having their work in the spotlight and subject to public approval. So they write in a voice that they feel they should use but their writing voice usually comes off sounding stiff and generic..Maybe youve struggled with finding your writing voice yourself.
Hi Monex,
Yes, getting past those hurdles is hard. That’s why writing every single day is important. The more you write, the easier it gets. Studying the techniques of writing is very important, too. Folks often think they can just sit down and start writing. Some can, but most cannot. You need to study structure, style, characterization, and on and on. If you’re not doing that, it’s much harder to understand writing. Plus, it all comes down to practice.
Thanks for your comment!
– Pat