When I first started nurturing my love for writing I struggled to find my voice within my work. I had this misconception that there was a certain way a "writer" is supposed sound. I thought writers had to use big words, be totally unbiased yet somewhat humorous, and be the ultimate authority on their topic. This may be true in a sense, but ultimately a writer must sound like herself.Les Edgerton the author of Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing says: "Don’t write to impress, fellow scribes. Write to connect with your readers. Your writer’s voice builds a better bridge to your readers. It’s your fingerprint, it’s your individual writing style, and it gives your writing soul".
Edgarton's advice spoke volumes to me. For one thing, it made writing much less daunting. Trying so hard to sound like someone else made me less confident in my work because I never felt like I was getting it right. Gratefully, one of my mentors brought to my attention that my writing had great potential, but she could not identify my voice. She told me the more my writing sounded like me the more my reader could grow to love my work. I realized that I wanted my readers to pick up one of my pieces and instantly say, this sounds like Donnice without even looking at my byline.
Your voice is what builds your brand. Your voice is what makes your readers fall in love--or not--with your work. In my work, you will hear a goofy, sarcastic, passionate young lady who is hungry for a prosperous future without any reservation--that's my voice. What's your voice?
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