Find Your Voice and Sing

It’s simple - write in your voice, your way and the words will fly off the page.

1. Write the way you talk. Not the way some stuffy, proper English teacher talks. Not with big words or elaborate figures of speech that you feel will impress your readers. You don’t need to pack your essay with big words to sounds smart. Use words that you are completely comfortable with, ones you can hear yourself using in a conversation. Clearly communicating ideas is much more impressive than your idea of elevated language.

2. Connect. Your audience wants to connect to YOU. They want to hear YOU and feel YOU. Formal gobbledygook language pushes them away. And it’s usually boring and hard to relate to.

3. Be specific. Zoom in and dish the details. Allow your readers to come close. Stop trying to cover 100 miles of distance in your story. One city block is enough. One home or room in it or comfy window nook is even better. Aim for quality over quantity.

4. Show, don’t tell. Show them what they’d see if they were a fly on the wall — not a helicopter flying overhead. Reveal what they’d hear if they were a mind-reader — not in seats across a crowded stadium. You reader WANTS to know about the real you.

5. Feel free to embellish. Your writing does not have to be 100% factual. It’s not going to be judged in a court of law. You should tell YOUR authentic story AND it’s okay if you don’t remember every detail exactly or if telling something in a slightly different way makes for a better narrative. The story you tell is part of your voice and of what makes your viewpoint special and unique.

6. Engage. Finally, if you have a sense of humor, let it show. That might just be the most human thing you can do.

I’m so excited for you! Your writing is taking shape at new levels and you’re building momentum. You might even be starting to feel the reality of what better writing can do for you — applying with more confidence, sharing your thoughts more clearly, learning to reveal your deepest story.