Voice is a hard one for many beginning writers. What exactly is a writer’s voice, and how do you get that unique one that all of the agents and editors are looking for?

One of the biggest roadblocks to finding your unique voice is the feeling that you “should” sound a certain way: you should write like a professional, or sound like an expert. You should use big words to sound educated, or short sentences to give more impact.

The actual fact is that you should sound like yourself.

The goal is to have your writing read, and the best way to do that is to sound completely natural and genuine. Write like yourself instead of trying to be what you think someone wants you to be.

Here are some writing exercises to help you find your unique voice:

• Write a love letter – pretend your airplane has crashed on a deserted mountaintop, or that you’re floating at sea in a life raft, and that you’ll never see your loved one again. Really ramp up the emotion on this exercise, and you should find a unique voice in under 500 words!
• Try on different personas – write a scene (200-300 words) from the point of view of vastly different personas. Try a priest, a murderer, a small child, and an old man. Try whatever you want, but try to be authentic to each persona. When you’re done, write the same scene in your own point of view, in your “normal” voice and see how different it sounds.
• Talk to your best friend – write down what you’ve done this week as if you’re telling your best friend. Take 200-300 words and find your voice.
• Describe your personality – what adjectives would describe you? Write 200-300 words and try to make your writing sound like those adjectives.
• Write a letter to yourself – make it something powerful that you need to tell your inner being, or something from your future self that you need to know now. Whatever it is, make it emotional.
• Try different moods – write a scene in different moods (happy, angry, mopey, etc.) and see which one flows better for you.
• Mix a metaphor – if your writing style was a drink, what kind would it be? Would it go down as smooth as fine brandy, or would it be spicy like a rum toddy?
• Have a conversation – write to just one person, not to an imaginary crowd of readers. Imagine that person vividly. You can even give them a name to help you picture them.
• Put yourself somewhere else – picture yourself writing in a different environment and see how different your voice sounds. Perhaps you’d prefer the excitement of writing in a crowded coffeeshop or in the mall courtyard. Maybe you’d feel better in a secluded wood or on a tropical island. Experiment and see which voice you like best.
• Read out loud – yes, actually read your work aloud. Pretend you’re talking to your best friend, or to that one imaginary reader you’ve invented. See if your writing sounds the way you’d talk to them, and change it if it doesn’t.

Voice has been defined as a collection of devices used consistently to create the illusioin of a person speaking through the text. But how do you find your unique writer’s voice?

Here are some of those devices you can utilize:

• Level of diction – probably the first thing a reader notices. This is basically the educational level of the piece. You can write in high, medium, or low diction. Medium is normal speech, conversational language. Diction level helps the reader figure out if they’re going to understand the piece or not.
• Formality of grammar and word usage – more formal can give you a sense of sophistication, but also of distance, which might not be what you’re after.
• Sentence clarity and length – varying the length of your sentences can create spaces in the text. Readers are generally intimidated by a page full of long, complicated sentences. Clarity is also key, as your writing should be simple to understand (unless you’re going for that academic abstract or literary piece).
• Verb usage – active verbs are graphic and specific, while passive verbs can dilute your voice. One oddity in American conversational speech, however, is that we use a lot of linking verbs (“to be”), which normally weaken the voice, but can create a conversational feel.
• Repitition of words, phrases, or images – this can create meaning by tying things together for the reader, making them stick out in their memory. Don’t use repetition too much, however, or it becomes obvious.
• Rhythm and flow – this is the beat of your language, how the words lead from one to another. Smooth rhythms create a sense of order and unity, while jerky rhythms make you sound disorganized and a little out of control.
• References and imagery – referencing things outside of your story can create a sense of depth. You can also use certain groupings of images to create a “signature” in your voice.
• Slang, dialect, and archaic language – slang can make your piece sound conversational, but jargon can create distance between you and your reader. Dialect can also distance you, as it is sometimes seen as a sign that you can’t speak the language properly.
• Wit, humor, and enthusiasm – the sophistication of your humor can elevate or deflate your writing, but don’t make humor part of your voice unless it’s natural . Enthusiasm for your subject engages your readers.