The first time I heard about a writer’s voice I was a teenager, sitting at an awards ceremony. It was getting late and people were a bit fidgety. We were onto the poetry awards. The third place had been presented — he was grateful to the sponsors and his family. The audience was expecting a similarly short and sweet acceptance from the second placer. Nope. She started waxing lyrical about how she had finally found her voice. I think she was on her back porch feeding the birds at the time. She was very passionate about it, and the description was extremely long winded. I started looking at my watch, hoping for it to end. Now, I wish I had listened and taken notes. She was generously sharing what can make or break your sense of self as a writer: the writer’s voice.
You may recall in an earlier blog post that I talked about accepting who and where you are in the world and focusing on the universal human experience. Finding your voice requires introspection of a different kind. This is because, according to Anne Lamott, finding your voice is enmeshed with finding the truth of our own experience.
But what if the truth of your own experience is objectively quite boring? If you believe that, you need to start peeling away layers of your self-awareness onion. You have a unique point of view. Your childhood was unique to you. As were your relationships. This is the time to dig deep and find what makes you, well, you. Once you find your own voice, it is easier to create characters with unique voices and lift your writing to the next level. So it is worth the effort.