On Finding Your Voice…

Ah, well…I don’t know whether I am the right person to write about this. Yet, I think I have explored enough writing shits and experienced enough writing horrors to know what writing voice is.

How to find yours? I guess, that we will find out, soon, even if not here, in this post, but, somewhere in the near future, we surely will find the voice which touches souls and forces people to continue reading. That’s a 36-word sentence guys. Nope I am not proud of writing it. It’s not me. I am all for short sentences and go-with-it-or-go-without (whatever does that mean) sort of a writer. I write like I speak. And speaking is a necessity which I cannot survive without.

Anyways, let’s not go where we are not supposed to go. If I start talking about ‘Talking’, I will be talking for the next two centuries. So, please let me have the honor of delighting you with the knowledge that I have gathered while writing wits challenging contents that make no sense to me and I am sure the readers will agree at some point.

What is voice by the way?

The tool with which we communicate with others, right? Of course. Silly me. Even the dumbest person walking on earth knows that. Therefore, let me rephrase the question.

What is writing voice?

You ever tried to Google it? No? Do it today. You will find a flood of results. Wiki says it’s the writing style of an author. It’s the way the author uses words and forms sentences. Well, the definition might differ a bit from the way Wikipedia has expressed. But, the bottom line is the same.

Yes, it is the writing style of an author. It is the way we use words, form sentences and the way we use punctuation. Yet, voice is lot more than that. Your writing voice is you. It is how you see the world. It is how you see yourself. It is what you believe. It is you and your life.

When you express yourself, your truest self down on paper, you find your voice. Easier said than done, right? I know. They all offer advice and none works well when implemented. It’s so like law of attraction. You give all your effort and keep trying every day. You make sure you follow all the rules that you could find. You turn practicing the tips into a habit. And nothing happens. You find no result. Your desire does not manifest. Defeated you let go. You forget all about the tips and you go on with your life like those few months never happened.

And then you see your life transforming. You realize hopefully not too late that you manifest what you are, not what you want.

It’s the similar thing with your writing voice or so I have found out. You write yourself, not what you want to write.

I want to write like Oscar Wilde. But, I am not him. I cannot write like him. The only person I can write like is Anasua Ghosh. That’s me.

Years, I have spent before I could understand what my voice is. Years, I have spent trying. Years, I went through misguiding myself. I thought I have a poetic voice which can hypnotize the readers. In reality, I wanted to write in that voice. But, I am not a poetic person. Nope. I am a marathon talker who can talk her way out of anything. Thus, I failed to produce anything readable in that voice.

How I found this amused voice dripping with sarcasm? Well, I did not find it. The voice was there within me, pleading me to bring it out. You can too, find your voice. You just have to try.

Read. Read everything you can find, from classics to chick-lit everything. And write. Write journal. Write jokes. Write short stories. It does not matter what you write as long as you keep your pen moving or rather keep beating your finger tips on the keyboard.

Make reading a part of your daily life. Have no excuse for not reading. The more writers you explore, the better it is for you. Not only the quality of your writing will enhance, you will get to understand what works for you and what does not as well.

Another great way to find your true voice is imitating. Nope, I am not talking about copy pasting. Try to copy the voice that appeals to you. Practice writing in this voice for a while then switch to another voice. By doing so, you will finally stumble upon the voice which is your own. You will know it when you will find it.

But, there is one advice – don’t try to rush it. This is a slow progression. Enjoy the journey while it lasts.