Voice can refer to many things in writing. When we talk about voice in terms of writing, we’re often talking about active voice versus passive voice. But that’s not what I want to talk about in this blog entry. Finding your own voice is one of the most important things for effective writing of any kind. As a general rule, no matter who you are or what you’re writing, your audience will respond best when you write in your own voice.
This isn’t meant to be a Stuart Smalley, “I’m good enough; I’m smart enough; and doggone it, people like me” affirmation. What I am saying is that your writing will always be its best when it comes out in your voice. When practicing law, I’ve often had to write things to be signed or argued by other people. This is hard for me. The reason is not that the law or argument changes, but that the voice has to change. If a document is going to be argued or presented by someone else, it has to be written in that person’s voice. If it’s not, the argument will not go smoothly and the person arguing will have a hard time presenting the things as set forth in the document. When I have to write for a voice other than mine, it feels unnatural. I wind up having to say things in a way that is foreign to the way my mind works. I’m never very happy with something that I’ve written for someone else’s voice, because it just doesn’t work for me. And if the person who it was written for doesn’t spend some time editing and adjusting the document to his or her own voice, it won’t feel natural to them either, and no one will be happy with it.
But when you have the freedom to write in your own voice, don’t try to sound like someone else. I think an audience can tell. It’s just like when you walk around trying to talk like someone other than you; you may get away with it for awhile, but before too long, someone will notice that you seem like a fake. Of course there’ll be good reason for that—you’re faking! Be aware, you’re writing voice doesn’t necessarily match your speaking voice all of the time. And you may have the skill to write different types of documents in different voices. Just make sure whichever voice you write in is yours. Readers can tell if you’re authentic; and you’ll never be authentic if you can’t write like you.
Stop pretending. Find your voice. Make your documents yours. Sure, there will be many times where your voice must be modified, or even stunted, for certain projects; but make those the exception.
Find your voice and you’ll find you; and your audience will find you and connect with you.