Finding Your Writing Voice
Tricks for how to identify and refine your unique writing voice
Hello, lovelies!
One of the trickiest parts of being a new-ish writer (and sometimes a veteran writer who has lost their way) is finding your unique writing voice. But never fear! I’m here to help!
So let’s get started.
What is Voice?
Voice is that special something that sounds only like you. It’s the words you choose, the length of sentences you favor. It’s how old your narrator is, what their social circumstances are, and what kind of book you’re writing.
Voice is also a subconscious part of your writing process, like whether you think in stage directions as if you’re watching a movie or whether you listen to the rhythm of your paragraphs like a song. Those small decisions that you don’t even think about are what make you unique as a writer, and they imprint on your words and come out as “voice.” (more on this later)
I’m going to give you five tricks to help you identify and nail your voice.
Ready? Here we go!
Trick #1: Write Like You Talk
Years ago, before I was published, I co-wrote a YA manuscript with a college classmate. He had been a star on MTV’s Real World and never written a book before, but he had a larger-than-life personality and we had an idea for a dual-POV story involving a teen celebrity and a reluctant bystander who gets swept up in behind-the-scenes drama of how TV producers manipulate the participants in their reality shows.
The advice I gave to my co-author who’d never written fiction before?
Write the story like you talk.
It worked like a charm, particularly because we were writing a contemporary story and the character was inspired by my friend himself.
By writing just like you talk, you don’t get caught up in over-thinking “style.”
Sadly, the book never got published because after the first draft, he and I both got busy with other projects. But I still believe that many people can find their writing voice just by writing how they talk. If my friend ever wanted to write a book, I’m pretty sure he’d be a success, just on his natural voice alone.
But what if the way I talk is boring? Or nothing like how my character would sound?
Never fear, I got you. There are other ways to figure out who you are as a writer.
Trick #2: Become the Literary Version of You
Take the first trick—writing like you talk—and pretend you’re running your words through an AI program. (But the AI program is your brain).
Your “prompt” is something like:
Take this paragraph that I wrote and make it 50% more lyrical.
Take this page that I wrote and use 33% more complicated vocabulary.
Take this chapter that I wrote and make it 25% more cinematic.
Don’t actually use Chat GPT or other AI for this, though, OK? We’re trying to find your voice, not a computer facsimile.
(also, as of the time of writing this article, we don’t yet know where publishers will stand on novels written with the help of AI. It is possible that publishers will decided that anything that is written—even in part with AI assistance—will not be “original work” and therefore not eligible to be published traditionally. Or maybe they will pay you less because you used AI. So for now, err on the side of caution and human creation.)
Another way to think of it is like acting. When you’re telling the story, act like you are a different version of you. One who speaks in run-on sentences or who describes settings lavishly or who is Hemingway-esque with short, punchy prose.
You are still YOU. But amped up in a certain respects.
One thing that readers have identified about my voice is a light lyrical rhythm. If you talk to me in real life, I do not sound like that. But when I sit down at the computer, my thoughts want to come out like a Floaty Version of Evelyn. (“Take this sentence and make it 37% more like the ebb and flow of water.” haha… But really, that’s kind of what my brain is doing when I write. It’s taking my ideas and making them more… Floaty.)
Trick #3: Copy Other Writers
No, not plagiarism. But let’s say you can’t quite get the hang of Trick #2 yet. What do you do?
Write your story in the style of a writer you want to sound like. Think of this like training wheels.
Fair Warning: this is not going to be your final manuscript, because when you’re mimicking someone else, it’s apparent to the reader that the voice isn’t quite natural. You haven’t found you yet.
But this is really, truly, a wonderful way to learn how to embody a voice and get a feel for how to eventually do Trick #2.
To review the difference between Trick #2 and #3:
#3 is straight-up just trying to be Chloe Gong or Andy Weir or Dustin Thao or fill-in-the-blank-with-your-goal-style-of-voice
#2 is using yourself and putting on a layer of something extra
Trick #4
Remember earlier, when I said that your unique voice is also determined by the unconscious parts of you as a writer?
Maybe you think of your stories like movies.
Maybe you don’t envision the acting, but literally see words dancing in the air, hovering above the screen.
Maybe you write like the sentences are music, with their own flow and beat.
These are things you can’t change about yourself. They are part of your identity as a writer.
Lean into them.
If you love the sound that the words make, listen to that rhythm and let it guide you. This is how I write—I read aloud to myself what I’ve written and I can often tell if a word or two is missing, because the beat is wrong. It’s like a song but someone left off the last two notes. When I listen to the melody of my sentences and paragraphs, it tells me how many more syllables (or beats) I’m missing. That is natural part of my writing voice.
If you can watch your story like a live-action movie, lean into that strength. Put the details of your vision onto the page. That is part of your unique writing voice, and the readers who love that style will be able to visually follow your story with you.
Trick #5: Be Patient and Allow Your Voice to Evolve
It takes time to develop your voice. Practice, be patient, and don’t be afraid to rewrite.
Also, your voice may change throughout your career. That’s okay. As long as you’re leaning into you authentically, there will still be a through-line across your work. Readers will be able to pick up your debut novel and also your tenth novel and say, Yeah, the writing has changed a little, but it’s definitely still [Your Name Here].
I’ve written YA historical fantasy, YA epic fantasy, YA contemporary romantasy, middle grade princess detective novels, a film adaptation based on a Netflix fantasy movie, and adult fiction about deep, life-shattering love. The books are all different, and yet I’ve been told that every single one is identifiably an Evelyn Skye story.
What unites them is my writing voice.
And I am looking forward to you finding yours.