As we all already know, writing in any form does not come so easily to everyone. There are the lucky few that go on to become authors, copywriters, or editors. And there are those like me, who aren’t very strong writers, and don’t often know the best way to get thoughts and ideas down on paper.
Many people think that everything they write needs to be in a professional tone. But that is not entirely true. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to write something such as an email to a client, or a cover letter to a company, which is very different than the tone you would use for a research essay. But, when writing personal blogs, they should be in your own voice, and it’s important to be your most authentic self for your readers.
Your writing voice always depends on your audience. You wouldn’t want to write in a casual voice to the President of the United States, (no I don’t have his email,) and you don’t want to write in a professional tone in your blog if that’s not who you are, or the purpose of your piece.
Recently, I came across a class on the site Mediabistro called “Develop your Writing Voice.” My first thought was, “I’m not that strong of a writer… This is going to teach me how to write like a professional copywriter,” and boy, was I wrong! The class wasn’t to teach me how to write like someone who gets paid to. It was to teach me who I am as a writer, and what my specific writing voice is. Your writer’s voice is basically the way YOU express yourself on a page. I watched a few videos, and followed along with the assignments, and this is what I ended up with.
Turns out that my writing voice is:
- Casual: I write in conversational sentences
- Open: I talk about my personal self
- Minimalist: I keep my writing short and to the point
The End!
Just kidding. But it truly does make much more sense, with my personality and how I speak, that this writing style is best for me. And luckily, it makes writing that much easier! Develop your writing voice to improve how you write here.
