At a writer’s conference, a contest judge once shared with me that he could pick my voice out of numerous entries. “You write like you are talking to a friend,” he said.
If you are searching for your writer’s voice and are feeling the search will never end, I have a couple of suggestions that might simplify your quest based on the contest judge’s comment to me.
Imagine your best friend is listening to you as your story pours from your heart onto paper. With this technique your passion will flow with ease. Friends share both their happy times and seasons of sorrow without reservation.
After I shared this advice at a workshop, I received an email from an attendee.
“I pulled a comfortable chair in front of my desk and imagined my best friend was sitting there, waiting for my every word. As I wrote the beginning of my novel I would glance at the chair and speak a few words of novel dialogue to the ghost-image. The dialogue came easy and I was able to write the first chapter in record time.”
Another tip: I often ask other writers to listen as I read a passage from my work-in-progress to see if my voice is coming through loud and clear and if they can hear my heart.
“Always listen to your heart, because even though it’s on your left side, it’s always right.” – Nicholas Sparks
When reading my work out loud to others I often catch mistakes such as which sentences are awkward, repetitiveness or if the tone is incorrect.
Still searching for your writer’s voice? Try giving the friend-in-chair technique and reading your work aloud to others a try.
Do you have a suggestion for finding the writer’s voice? If so, please share in the comments section.
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