Lorna Faith

Clean Fiction Author

How to Capture the Heart of Your Writing Voice

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“…be yourself when you write. You will stand out as a real person among the robots.” William Zinsser in his book On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

I remember when I first started writing, I longed to be the best writer I could be. So I set my first goal. I wanted to try to sound like those other successful writers I admired. I thought if I could just sound like them, I would be a great writer too.

Despite my best efforts, I failed miserably.

How to capture the heart of your writing voice is often the single biggest struggle for writers. At least that’s been one of my big obstacles to finding my authentic voice.

And yet ironically, it’s also the key to unlocking your creative potential.

calligraphy pen

*Photo Credit By: Urban WorkBench – Creative Commons

5 Steps to Help Find Your Authentic Voice 

It’s normal when we’re first learning to write, that we imitate writers we admire. That’s often how we start with most things we want to get really good at. For example, like riding a bicycle or learning to sing. I remember doing that when I started with singing lessons years ago. I would try to sing like the popular singers I heard on the radio. My teacher would constantly tell me. Let’s try again. This doesn’t sound like you.

My next step was to try to play it safe. This happened in singing as well as when I began writing. I tried to go with a good clean sound in both. A sound that would be attractive.

Only I discovered that finding and capturing the heart of your voice doesn’t work quite that way.

It takes effort to develop it. It’s a discipline. And as I’ve kept scribbling for the last few years, I’ve realized that this is really important if you’re going to have the impact your words deserve.

I found 5 steps that have worked to help me discover more of my real writing voice:

1. Free write. Write(without editing) whatever comes into your head for about ten minutes. Just go nuts. Write in a way that’s most comfortable to you. Then go back and read it. Ask yourself do I publish stuff that sounds like this?

2. Ask yourself if you enjoy what you’re writing as you are writing it. If it feels like work, you might not be writing like yourself.

3. Write down at least three blogs, books, or articles you like to read. Ask yourself: How are they similar? How are they different? What is it about how they are written that catches your attention? I know for myself I often admire what I aspire to be. Maybe you do too?

4. Something that might help is to ask yourself if the way you write is how you talk. I have done this and used to see a big difference between how I talk and how I write. I’ve been slowly closing that gap.

5. Stay aware of how you’re feeling. Do you feel nervous, anxious or worried before you publish? Good. You’re on the right track. Usually if we’re completely at ease with putting our words out there, then most likely we’re not being vulnerable enough. Try writing something that is a little more you. Use the fear you’re feeling to inspire you to make your writing matter.

I’m still working to discover the heart of my authentic voice. It is a struggle, and sometimes it’s frustrating, but on the other hand, it’s been surprising and fun to see which words will make their way onto the page.

The truth is that there is a bunch of noise out there in the world. And if you are going to be heard, it’s not enough to just raise your voice. You’ve got to set yourself apart, showing that you have something unique to say.

So be brave and continue to write. Trust yourself. Most of all, keep writing those words you love most.

hugs, Lorna

*Photo Credit By: Urban WorkBench – Creative Commons

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

How to Find Your Writing Voice – Part 3

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“We must actively search for our voice, and clear a path for it to emerge. It is uncovered, not manufactured. We may not even like what we discover at first, but by embracing it we will position ourselves to occupy the unique space for which we’re wired.” Todd Henry 

This is the last post in the series of How to Find Your Voice. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Creators of any kind must find their voice. Builders of anything must discover what makes them tick. 

Here’s the thing: we’re not truly expressing ourselves, and speaking the truth, until we’ve found our voice: the tone, style, tenor, pitch and personality we use to express ourselves. 

Your voice is who you are – your essence – put out there for the world to see. The hardest part is being brave enough. [Tweet this]

There’s no easy answer on how to do this. I’m discovering it’s a quest that is unending. It’s a constant retuning as the essence of who I am is constantly changing and growing.

As I’ve coached many students on how to fine tune their singing voice, I’ve been encouraged how their voice changes throughout the learning process. This is natural. It’s the same with us. 

Much like our singing voice, our voice in writing and in life, is ever emerging.

Your Voice

*Photo Credit by LifeSupercharger

Tips to Help You Find Your Voice

Here’s some tips from my own journey as a writer and Vocal Coach. Yet, the ideas here apply to people who are creators and builders of anything. 

Write a lot. This goes without saying. Really nothing else matters without the constant practice of writing. Write short stories, blogposts, novellas, novels, letters, diatribes, book reviews and love poems. The sheer mass of your writing will become the raw matter from which to chisel your voice. 

Experiment. Be bold. Mimick people who are great at writing and make it your own. Find your own sweet spot. Trial and error. That’s what being a creative is all about. 

Learn to really hear yourself. My writing voice is my thinking voice. In the noisy world inside my skull, I talk to myself. That voice inside, is the voice I try to put into my writing. The trick is to get that voice down onto virtual paper. Do it enough to get good at it. 

Find what feels true for you. As you start it will seem like it’s just not good enough. But you need to sort through that and keep going to find the truth. Read your work out loud. You’ll hear the parts that ring true. 

Find clarity. Good writing put simply, is really just clear thinking. I’m still working on this. Way too often my mind is muddled, so my writing is too. Clear writing is just a matter of simplifying. Work at removing the extra words and ideas until you have honed it down to express a simple thought. 

Get rid of the noise. Most people end up with too many words because they never subtract. The noise gets in the way of your voice, so trim down the noise until all you’re left with is the truth. After you’re finished writing, edit and remove the unnecessary. Most people nowadays have too much noise in their lives to hear themselves think. Too much is going on around them and online that there is no room for silence. You can’t hear your thoughts, your voice without silence. Remove the noise in your life too. 

Use your voice. You don’t go on a quest to find your voice just for the beauty of it. Although that’s a great thought, it must mean more than that. You must use your voice. To express yourself, to help others and to change the world. These are all things I’m learning daily. And everyday I’m discovering what it means to find my voice, and I hope my learning somehow helps yours. 

Practice Your Writing Style 

Last week I wrote a story from when I was 15 years old as my exercise and the previous week was a story from when I was 4 years old. This week’s exercise is also from Les Edgerton’s book Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing.

This last exercise in this series is to write a page describing a happy experience – but move ahead in time to a recent memory. Use the words you use now. 

Here’s a recent story told in the language I use today:

Yesterday I sat at my desk trying to think of happy experiences from this past year. Tears rolled down my cheeks when nothing came to mind. I couldn’t believe it. A whole year gone by and nothing exciting? I knew I had been working hard with learning a bunch of new writing skills and other online learning this past year, so I thought maybe I just couldn’t see the past my own muddled busy-ness. More tears came unbidden at the weight of that guilt.

My daughter walked into the room at that moment. “What’s wrong mom?” Her hands picked up mine. 

I told her. 

“Mom there have been lots of happy moments. Maybe none of them were big, but the small ones are worth just as much.” Her simple words hit me like a bucket of cold water. It was the truth. I had been trying to think of huge, exciting moments, when all the while there had been many small moments that have been worth so much more. 

“Sometimes the simple things of life hold the most meaning.” Her fingers toyed with the scratched gold wedding band on my left hand. “Like this small wedge that’s hidden under your ring. At times it’s the things hidden and simple that remind us most of what true happiness is. Those memories are the ones that are deep, lasting and meaningful.” 

She gave me a hug and walked away. I wondered how she got to be so wise. 

My daughter’s words brought a flood of memories. I thought of many moments that had brought so much joy to our family. Our oldest daughter’s High School graduation and later her acceptance into Art College; our family hikes; laughter around the kitchen table; card games on the living room floor; sitting at the piano singing with my girls; watching my husband play chess with his sons; picking summer saskatoon berries; watching the sunset, and the most recent … wildflowers picked from the meadow at the bottom of the hill from my two beautiful daughters. 

That scent of earthiness mixed with the colours of summer remind me of these simple gifts that are worth more than all the Big moments for me. 

I remember… and I am thankful.

I hope you’ve found this series helpful.

Now that you’ve read all three stories, I need to tell you what author Les Edgerton says what you’ll discover as you read once more through each story. He says to sit down and compare each story. Take your time and really look for differences. He says one thing you should “hear” is the voice that has stayed constant throughout your life, even though the vocabulary has changed. Those words and sentences will be those that are shorter and simpler with few or no adverbs and adjectives. These will have strong verbs and nouns that say exactly what you mean. Direct and plain descriptions of emotions. He says most likely the third piece has more flowery language than the others. He says to pick out the sentences in each story that stand out as a piece written by the six-year old in you.  Those simple sentences are the real you – your voice.

I admit, I found these exercises very freeing. Looks like my next task is to find those simple sentences that show my real voice in between all the clutter of flowery language. Then to get rid of the ‘extra words’ and stick with the simple.

Did you try these exercises? Have you narrowed down your writing style to get to which writing style is your real voice? Let me know, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

 

 

 

 

*Photo Credit by LifeSupercharger

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

How to Find Your Natural Writing Voice

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“The natural writing process is to write in the 1st person. This is natural – it’s how we tell a story if we’re talking to someone over coffee…” William Zinsser in his Book, On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

I’ve been doing more writing practice lately. I’m digger deeper. I’m learning to find my natural voice. You might be asking, why would I go through all this time and effort to figure this out?

Because intuitively I know that once I find my natural voice, I will have a new freedom to be me.  In all my storytelling. And I really want that… don’t you?

You might be asking, what exactly is your writing voice?

It’s your style. Your unique way of expressing yourself….with all your beliefs and opinions. It’s how you see the world – your worldview.

Your writing voice is what makes you… you.

once I find my natural voice

*Photo Credit By: Lorna Faith

Why do you need find your voice?

This search for your voice is really about who you really are. What you want to say or don’t want to say. And how you’re going to say all of that.

The effort you put into that, makes you more comfortable with your style. It takes awhile to find your unique voice. And until you find it, you might be a little uncomfortable with your unique writing style.

Finding your voice allows you to communicate to people in a way that’s uniquely you. It attracts people to you and to your writing. 

It’s the only real and long-term way to tell your story.

I’ve learned that all it takes is practice.

So I’ve been digging deeper to find my natural writing voice lately.

Here’s an exercise that Les Edgerton mentions in his book Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing. 

He says to take out three sheets of paper and a pen or pencil. Writing the old way, will help free you to get back to your roots. Now, get completely relaxed and comfortable. Now, go back in your mind to when you were a young child(4-6 years old). Write a page describing a really good memory you have from that time. Allow the feelings and emotions to come up and write about them without censoring. Write this description in the vocabulary of that young child. Use words you would have used then. It’s crucial that you do your best to write in the “language” you possessed back then… not the language you use today. 

So I did. Here’s what came of that effort…

Moving Day

I can still smell the dust that floated up to coat my nose that chilly spring day. My little four year old legs slid down from Momma’s soft lap that perched high up in the light blue 1963 Ford car. It seemed like a long ways to the dusty earth below. My stubby hands scraped against jagged rocks as I landed, but any pain I felt was forgotten the moment I looked up. With my jaw hanging open, like the opening of a church door, I stared out at the blanket of brown sprinkled with a little green. The mixture of dull colours and lumpy hills looked like one of my older sisters effort at baking a cake. But at this offering before me I wasn’t worried what I would find under the layers of brown. Instead my eyes widened and happy giggles erupted. I choked on the coat of dust that littered my throat and waited for the coughing to stop before I peered up again. Standing to my feet, I wobbled forward, hoping for a better view of the land that was to be our new home. All this space to run and play was a big change from the small lot and house in town our big family of thirteen had squeezed into. I shivered with anticipation. I wouldn’t forget this adventure or my first face-full of dust. 

I soaked in another big breath. My first smell of freedom.

There was something freeing and so natural as I wrote this in first person, based on memories I had of my childhood. It’s like I experienced a shift from blurry to focussed. My writing went from critical to feeling free to be me.

Go ahead and try this exercise – I think you’ll be amazed by what you discover about you and about your voice. It will be freeing.

There’s other exercises and ideas to help you find your natural writing voice. Next week we’ll work on another exercise to help find your voice.

Have you found your natural writing voice? If that’s something that you’re really wanting to figure out, give these exercises a try… I think you’ll be amazed at the freedom you find in your writing. Let me know if you find these posts and exercises helpful, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

hugs, Lorna

*Photo Credit By: Lorna Faith

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

The World Needs Your Art

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“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Henry Ward Beecher

I really admire great artists.

Great singers like Andre Bocelli, painters like the talented, young Akiane, or writers like Maya Angelou or John Grisham are only a few of the people that inspire me.

When I hear, see or read their works or art, I realize there is still a place in the world for art that stirs the soul. There’s still a place for people like me, who don’t really fit into the normal one size fits all. And I’m glad.

Because I know we need mort Art in the world.

art just is

Doing Work You Love

These artists mentioned above, are doing their passion. They are working hard to create something that is full of meaning and purpose. They pour their blood, sweat, tears and time into what they do. Giving out much more than they will ever be rewarded for.

To let themselves bleed for what they love is okay… because they are creating art. Artists make something that matters. They will leave a legacy.

Art Changes Us

Great art somehow changes us. It changes the world, making it better. Art speaks to something deep inside of us that we can’t even name. It nurtures our hope and gives us perspective.

Great art lightens our path and restores the broken places inside each of us.

For your art to be really meaningful, it needs to first be a labour of love.

It may not be as soon as you would like, but it will happen. Your job is to do the work, not expect the reward. Then as you work with your passion, it turns into conviction.

You spend hours each day, working tirelessly to improve your craft. Because your art requires it of you.

But all this hard work doesn’t matter if you don’t make it available to the world.

Only the artist knows when their work is ready to be sent out there. And true artists have the courage enough to create change.

Good Enough

There are quite a few people who think their work is good enough. The problem is that good enough is still mediocre. If you work doesn’t make you proud to tell your friends and neighbours about it … then it needs more tweaking.

But do get your work out there. Make your art shareable.

Work on your music album, painting or book until it’s the best you can possibly make it. Then it’s ready to ship.

That’s what I did last year, when I finished my 1st Historical Romantic Suspense book. After five years of working on Answering Annaveta (Russia to Canada Trilogy Book 1), working with an editor and going over and over the manuscript, I finally said, with tons of fear… “I’m shipping.”

Turns out, much to my surprise, there were people waiting to read it. So it is with you. There will be many people who will be so excited that you did share your work with them.

It’s time to begin. The world needs to see, feel, hear, touch or taste your art. Don’t worry about failing. Worry instead about not starting. What you create will get better each time you practice.

Then do it again, and again, and again.

The world needs your art. Each creation you present to others will make a change… one piece of art at a time.

 

So what are you creating? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

 

 

 

*Photo Credit By: Marc Johns

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

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