Lost Your Writing Voice? How To Get It Back

Have you felt like your writing isn't yours anymore? Maybe you feel like it's another author's writing. Maybe you're trying to break out of that stiff, formal writing teachers force you to use.

Looking at you, essays.

Whatever the reason, here's some tips on how to break out of your fake voice and get into your real voice.

Some time after school, I was chatting with a friend. It was normal small talk. The weather's nice, life is great and I have a steady supply of chocolate. Then my friend told me that I sound formal. Pfft, what?

When I read over my writing, I realised my friend was right. I didn't consider myself to be too formal. Before the epic essay heist (I reckon all schools have it), I didn't talk too formal either. Because of all the essay writing, it changed how I naturally wrote.

I didn't want to sound like a scientist formal because that's not me. I spent time trying to break out of it and honestly, I'm still trying. But I've found a way that works best for me and I think it can help you refind your voice.

Why Developing Your Authentic Writing Voice Is Important

You've probably heard this many times before me. How to find your writing voice. What's your writing voice? Not many of these guides explain why it's important.

The most important reason is because you're the only one who can do you. Billions of people are using the internet, each with their own voices. It might sound cheesy, but we don't need another copycat, however flattering it might be to that person. We need you. 

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To stand out, you have to be different. Instead of copying what other people are doing, do what you feel is right. It's how you get fans who genuinely love your books. You'll feel accomplished and not like you're faking it to get the likes. 

Any influencer on any platform will tell you this. Going on the internet, you see this all the time. You know those be you posters.  

There's many other reasons, but it's not the main focus, so let's get straight into the five steps I used to get back into my real writing voice!

A How-To Guide To Get It Back

1. Forget everything school taught you. 

The moment we've all dreamed of! Forget paragraph structure. Forget spelling. Forget grammar. For all its good intentions, schools can be restrictive on what they allow you to do.

Fun fact: During highschool, we did a creative writing unit. At that stage, I had done a ton of research on writing stories. My desk buddy became annoyed with my complaints. Thankfully, I've forgotten everything now.

Most of what schools teach about English is so you can write essays. Fiction books shouldn't be essays because they are so boring. You don't want that.

Do yourself a favour and forget it all.

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2. Type however you want.

Following from Step 1, type however you want. Even if it means typing with your toes. If you prefer to type like you're texting a friend, u can do that. If you prefer to type in shorthand, tick. 

Guys, I mean however. 

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Type with bad spelling. Type with bad grammar.  

Hands down, this is my favourite part of the five steps. I can finally do what school told me not to do! (I'm just repeating myself, but it's seriously so awesome.)

Some people feel like it's betraying everything they've learnt. I get you. I used to feel like that too. But you don't need to show anyone your bad writing. It's just for you to see. No judgement. 

3. Type how you talk.

Many bloggers recommend doing this for dialogue. I don't completely agree, but I like the concept. People speak differently to how they write. For most people, how you speak is more natural than how you write. If your speech has been infected by essays...I'm sorry.

Add in all the little stutters, ums, erms and ahhs. If you talk with your hands, add those action asterisk things. *gestures to the asterisk thing* If you know the actual name, leave a comment below because I have no idea. 

Doing this will bring your natural voice back to your writing voice. I'm not 100% sure what the science behind this is, but it works. Trust me.

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4. Bring proper spelling back.

But, you might be saying, I was just getting excited about breaking some rules! It's a shame, but you will have to get back into proper English. Without it, no one will want to read your book. If you decide to go down the traditional publishing route, your book won't even make it past the slush pile.

Creatives get more freedom with how we write, but we still need to make sure readers can understand what we're saying. 

To return to the land of the living, start with spelling. Language teachers recommend learning vocabulary over grammar because we can understand what someone is saying even with broken grammar.

Yoda take for example.

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5. Bring proper grammar back.

Finally, bring grammar back. Broken grammar is understandable, but after a while, it can be a pain to read. Imagine a whole book written in Yoda talk. The joy would run out pretty fast.

Start simple before returning to essay level correctness. Authors still get creative freedom with grammar so you don't need to be completely correct. As Kurt Vonnegut Jr said in A Man Without A Country, 

"Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college."

This doesn't mean you can just forget about grammar. You still need to remember it because it's an important part of English.

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Back Up Your Voice With These 3 Tips

1. Write often.

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Let's start with a no brainer. The more you write, the faster you'll get back into your flow. On deadlines, it's especially important to get it done as soon as possible so you can naturally integrate it with your novel.

2. Experiment with different styles.

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Try copying how other people write. Pretend you are that person. From there, take what you like and discard what you don't like. Mixing and matching can help you find your real voice or create a new one that suits you. 

3. Listen to yourself talk.

One way to hear your speech is to record yourself talking. Awkward? Yes. But listening to yourself talk can make you aware of your speech quirks. If you like it, own it! If you don't like it, train yourself to not do it. 

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If you don't want to record yourself, pay attention to what you say in daily conversation. It might be harder, but it's less awkward than listening to a recording.

~ 

To get your real writing voice back in two steps: forget everything school taught you and remember it again when you feel like you've got it back. Write often to regain your authentic voice faster. Try experimenting with different styles and listen to yourself talk.

Most importantly, you do you.

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Have you lost your writing voice? How did you get it back? Did you try this method? How does it work for you? Leave a comment below. If you liked this post, be sure to share, follow and eat chocolate for more content! (Eat chocolate anyway.)