8 Reasons Why Voice is More Important than Being Original in Writing

Every writer wants to write in an inspiring and captivating way. Whether it’s poetry, novels, personal essays, or blog articles, every writer wants to have a unique writing style and voice. Texts without a voice are empty of meaning and sterile. So, how can your audience sacrifice their time reading a voiceless text? They’ll have no way to associate themselves with the plot or characters.

Defining writer’s voice

What is a writer’s voice? To help you clear your mind, I’ll tell you what it’s not:

• It’s not the technique
• It’s not the writing style
• It’s not the brand
• It’s not originality

The writer’s voice cannot be measured. However, you can easily define and identify it. The writer’s voice does not entail grammar, structure, or wording. It’s a unique way that the writer sees the world. And how they translate it. For instance, everyone sees an orange the same way. However, everyone has their approach when it comes to describing its taste, color, and texture. According to the literary writer, Rachel Gardner, the writer’s voice is an expression of you.

You are the person who gives life to your writing by offering emotions to characters. Every reader wants to have a connection with the characters. And to see things through them. Your voice is the only door that they can use. Adding voice to your writing involves writing with your emotions, passions, dreams, attitudes, fears, and believes.

Elements of your writer’s voice

As we said earlier, your voice reflects who you are and what inspires you. Your readers should feel your presence as they read your pages. However, you should avoid being an intruder in your piece. You are developing your characters but you are not them.

Unlike technical or scientific texts, your writing needs to be humanized. Your personality plays an integral role in influencing your voice. Your personality needs to breathe out emotions about your topic of interest. You need to trigger the sensations that you want your readers to feel. And you can achieve this goal through your voice.

Tone

Your tone is an important part of your voice. Talking allows you to reveal more about yourself and how you feel. And this happens largely because of your tone. Communicating through writing creates special effects. How every element of your writing connects helps in developing a unique voice. How you say things is just as important as the message you want to share. You can adopt several voice tones in your writing such as jovial, humorous, intimate, ironic, drama, and sophisticated to name a few. The tone that you use will have a huge impact on your brand. You need not use the same tone all the time. You can always adjust it to fit the message you want to communicate.

For example, you can write your blog posts straightforwardly and informally and short stories in a slow-paced and intimate tone. Several factors such as time, narrator, and content influence your voice. The most important thing is being consistent throughout the text and within your writing style.

Rhythm

Rhythm is another essential element of your voice. Rhythm determines the pace of your text. Rhythm is delivered to your writing using phrase structure, alliterations, paragraphs, punctuations, and rhymes. Rhythm is technical, unlike subjective tone.

Mutable writing voice

Writers are versatile by nature. They can write using different styles, delve into one matter or choose to scratch the surface in other topics. They can write short stories, novels, poems, and short articles. Regardless of what they write, their voice is a key ingredient. Unlike other writers who think that voice is created from the ground up, I think it’s inborn.

Writing voice cannot be transmitted because it’s personal. While it’s improved with inspiration and practice, it’s always been within us. Being unique and personal doesn’t mean that your voice is not mutable. You can change the writer’s voice and adjust it depending on what you’re writing about. For instance, writing a story about an incident that happened centuries ago cannot be narrated like something that happened yesterday. The writer needs to transport themselves to the time they are writing about.

These elements don’t make up your writing voice on their own. However, they do as a whole. Each of them affects the writer in one way or another.

Finding your writer’s voice – 8 reasons why it’s important

With high content turnover, it’s important to create and refine your writing style. Being original is great because you don’t want to replicate the findings and experiences of others on your platform. However, it doesn’t guarantee that people will read and enjoy your piece. To succeed as a writer, you need to find your voice.

• You can use your experiences: When you find your writing voice, you’ll always start with what you know. You’ll have an easy time slipping into the shoes of your characters and immersing yourself in the story. You’ll be inspired by real events, emotions, and people.
• It allows you to be conscious of your observations: We all see the world through unconventional lenses. However, only a handful of people are aware of the existence of these lenses. When observing people, you’ll start taking note of the dialogue, silences, and interruptions. Your observational skill will determine how you describe events to your readers.
• Awakens your senses: All readers want to feel something when they immerse themselves into writing. They want to immerse themselves beyond the bare description. To achieve this, you’ll need to awaken all your senses.
• You’ll start avoiding clichés: Most writers easily fall into the trap of clichés especially during uncertainty and doubt. Since you’ll be using your experiences, you’ll naturally avoid clichés.
• Your details will be intimate: Intimate details are essential in the enhancement of vivid writing quality. You’ll be specific in describing and characterizing the setting. Subtle movements can help in building the mood of your poem or story.
• Creates authentic and strong voices: By using an authentic and strong voice, your reader will become submerged in your story.
• You’ll understand the writing rules: You’ll not be afraid of experimenting and bending writing rules. To find your voice, you’ll need to understand the writing rules completely.
• You’ll write every day: To master the art of writing, you need to practice. The more you write, the more you’ll be conscious of your writing style and improve on it. Finding your voice will make writing an enjoyable activity.

Conclusion

Writing is a skill. And like all other skills, you can master it through practice and consistency. Don’t be afraid to try new things and bend the rules.

Leon Collier is a blogger and academic writer from the UK who has vast experience working with Topbritishessays and essayontime.co.uk. He loves to take on every challenge thrown at him and has the ability to deliver outstanding work regularly. When he’s not busy writing, he loves reading books and playing tabletop games with his friends. Follow him on Twitter @LeonCollier12.