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Novice Writers: How to Develop your Unique Voice
The abundance of digital content makes it hard for newbie writers to stand out. Consistency and perseverance are essential, but developing your writing voice is even more critical. Before we explore how to do this, let us clear up any misconceptions about style, tone, and writing voice.
Style is about technique and form and can be expository, narrative, persuasive, descriptive, or creative.
Tone expresses your attitude about your topic and can be formal, optimistic, sad, hopeful, etc.
A writer’s voice develops over time and results from sharing his personal experience and perspective in their writing.
Thus, a blog may have a specific style - for example, all its articles are creative. A guest post will follow this creative style but bring the writer’s voice with its unique experiences and perspective to the piece.
Being authentic and sharing your personal experience resonates with readers and helps you to make an impact.
1 Tips to Develop Your Unique Voice
1.1 Write from experience
Researching a topic can only get you so far because you are not saying anything new. Although facts are essential in writing, your unique experience adds flavor and keeps people reading. Writing from experience gives a new angle to your writing. Suppose you share how your introverted traits of deep thinking and reflective qualities help you in your niche topic (writing, health, etc). In that case, it will resonate with your introverted readers and show that your shared experiences enable you to help them.
1.2 Learn through trial and error
Developing your writer’s voice is fun because you can experiment with tones, genres, and styles. It is the perfect time to embrace artistic freedom and silence your inner critic. With time, you’ll discover and embrace the style you are comfortable with, and it will become part of your unique writer’s voice.
Journaling is ideal since it is private, and you don’t need to fear judgment and criticism from others. Free-flowing writing in your journal teaches you to get your thoughts down and become comfortable with your writing.
Free-flow writing is an excellent practice because you learn to write regardless of spelling, grammar, etc. It prepares you for your future writing, where writing and editing are two separate processes. First, you write to get your thoughts down and then polish them to perfection during editing.
1.3 Value feedback
A writer can’t develop his craft in isolation. Novice writers are vulnerable when it comes to their writing. Thus, finding a kind mentor who will give you sensitive feedback and steer you in developing your writing skills is essential. However, it is crucial to stay true to yourself and your voice and be discerning if any advice will weaken your individual voice. In conclusion, developing your unique writing voice is essential to build a connection with your readers. It is through sharing your personal experiences that you build trust and credibility. A well-developed writing voice lets your readers recognize your work immediately and gives them familiarity, comfort, and trust. What are you waiting for? Start practicing and experimenting today, and find your distinctive writing voice!
Sources
A Guide to the 5 Different Types of Writing Styles You Should Know - Udemy
Tone in Writing - Jerry Jenkins
Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Susan van der Walt