Finding Your Voice
Maybe try a cough drop…
But, seriously, a common bit of advice out there for bloggers is to find your own voice and to write content in your own unique way. Many people will cover the same news story or topic, but readers will come to read your unique view.
Clearly, you have your own opinions and there are likely a number of other bloggers that share them. But, how do you find your own voice? How do you say things in “your own words?”
That’s something that school kids have been grappling with for decades. You probably did as a child too. Did your teacher expect you to just make words up?
While some people may be lucky enough to coin a new word, for the majority of us and for the majority of the time, we’re going to be using the same words as everyone else. So, what is our voice?
We are each the sum of our experiences. We pick up on things, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and add that to our own dialogues. Plus, we may add a few of our own or twist existing phrases and such to our own liking.
As an example, years ago I had a co-worker who used the expression, “I see how you are.” And, now that slips into my speech and writing from time to time. A more common expression you’ve probably heard is “I see what you did there.”
See if you can identify the source of these phrases and quotations.
- “Make it so.”
- “I have a bad feeling about this.”
- “Many Bothans died to get this information.”
And, as I’ve mentioned, sometimes we take a popular phrase and turn it into something else. See if you can figure out the source of inspiration for these recent headlines of mine:
Then, of course, there are mannerisms and inflections that infect our speech and also have an effect on our writing. With words, you cannot see or hear those things, but they do have an effect on what we write and how we write, so even if the reader doesn’t read it the way we hear it in our heads, it is still coming out in our own unique way.
For example, I’m often influenced by Monty Python-esque sequences. The words may not be anything like anything in any Monty Python sketch, but the way in which words may have been said have an influence on how those words are coming together in my head and then to the computer screen. Take an occasional long-winded paragraph of mine and read it in your head as though John Cleese or Eric Idle were reading it to you, and I think you’ll understand.
The point of the matter is that we have all had unique experiences. You may be able to get together with old classmates or co-workers, and they’ll be able to recognize the source for some of your phraseology but others outside your circle may not. And, as you’ve all gone your own separate ways, you’ve each picked up things that the others didn’t experience.
All those experiences shape our speech and our writing style. It’s just a matter of practice to let it show through our work. That is our voice and, though it may have been influenced by a number of others, it is uniquely our own. Sometimes, it may take practice to feel comfortable enough to let that show through, and not be self-conscious about our words and making sure they are “proper” or “correct” or what have you.
Picard.
Han Solo.
That woman who tells the pilots that the Death Star really isn’t that bad, I’m sure you’ll all come back in one piece.
Dude, who stole my car?
Last of the Mohicans
My Gosh, it’s full of excrement! (OK, I have no idea.)
I need to read your long paragraphs while thinking of Monty Python. This is good.
If you can’t figure out that last one, there’s nothing I can do to HALp you.