Find, Define and Master Your Unique Voice
A new song plays on the radio. You’ve never heard it before but you know the artist immediately – there’s no mistaking that voice…
Writers who develop an undeniable voice reach another level of popularity. It’s not forced, it’s not selfish, it just is. The most well known figures – comedians, screenwriters, authors, actors, reality show personalities, memorable party guests – all have a voice. The kind of voice that conjures a comment like, “That’s totally something Karen would say!”
Great voices are infectious. Spend enough time with your buddy from Boston and pretty soon you’re off to “paaark ya wicked awesome caaar.” But how do you find your voice? What’s unique about your writing style and attitude? Here are some effective exercises to help not only find your voice, but to infuse that voice into a non-fiction book.
Ask
Here’s a scary truth: We all have a particular mannerism, quirk or pattern that’s nearly impossible for us to recognize. Embrace it. Ask friends and family to impersonate you. A lot can come from this exercise if everyone stays good-natured.
Ask them to make a peanut butter sandwich as you. First, enjoy the impersonation –folks love the performance opportunity and it’s hilarious to watch. Then, jot down this comedy gold. Repeat this with as many loved ones as possible.
Did your friends make fun of your fidgety nature? Did they do everything big and loud? Did everyone add fifty extra ingredients to that sandwich? Now, my friend, you have something to work with.
Look at the spirit of the impersonations and translate them into a specific tone. For example:
Actions that are quirky, nervous = Fast-paced, witty dialogue that’s always correct.
Loud, offensive actions = Write bold. Inject your sick sense of humor when possible.
Boring, lifeless impersonations = Get in touch with your sarcastic, self-deprecating voice.
Your interpretations will be slightly different – find what translations resonate. During this process start to identify familiar public figures who have a similar style as yourself. Not to copy them, but to get inspired by their overall public image – The kind of photos they post, what they support (and don’t support) and how they answer interview questions. People become familiar to us when they’re consistent. And if they’re inconsistent, they’re consistently inconsistent.
Take the qualities you know are you and infuse that into the writing. You don’t have to know everything, but begin to develop what you do know about yourself. For example, “I would never say [blank].” And “I’ve said [blank] time and time again.”
Standup
Standup is powerful because it only works with a strong POV. Comedy is the result of emotionally charged opinions unique to your personality and part of becoming a great standup (having a great voice) is defining what those opinions are. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be the next Wanda Sykes, but if you can get out of your comfort zone… Take. A. Class.
Many standup classes (full of first timers like you, btw) ask students to make a list. This isn’t a vanilla list of likes and dislikes, it’s a list about what you love and hate written a fast as possible so your instincts come out.
Not only is this therapeutic, you’ll discover what you have in common with people. And then… you’ll find out what you do not. When there’s a burst of laughter at something you said and you don’t understand why it’s funny, you’ve just struck comedy gold.
“But I thought everyone was afraid of mustard.”
Improv
These classes are challenging to introverts but if you have an ounce of courage use it to jump in headfirst. Yes, you’re pretending to be other characters but your style of humor will shine through. Comedy can come in a variety of packages and the more you understand yours the stronger your writing will be.
Are you dry and sarcastic? Slapstick, jazz hands funny? Do you transform into other characters easily? Or is your humor from being terribly unfunny?
Morning Pages
Inspired by Julia Cameron’s infamous, The Artist’s Way, boy oh boy do we have no idea what’s going to hit the page when our pen is ordered to keep moving. The big idea is this: As soon as you wake up, set a timer for 10-15 minutes and write without stopping. It doesn’t matter what you put down. You can write, “I don’t know what to write” until the next thought comes through. The only way to fail at this is if you stop writing before your alarm goes off.
Don’t censor yourself and see what comes out. After a few days or weeks go by, reflect on your pages and notice common themes. Do you come across angry? Poetic? Or are you always hungry?
NEXT STEP
After you’ve gained a clear understanding of your voice, here’s how to immediately infuse it into your work.
Voice Memos
If you voice record ideas, congratulations! There’s an extra tool in your belt.
When ideas flood in we feel inspired – there’s a state of discovery, energy of excitement. Don’t lose that in the transcription. Revisit the recording and make sure your creative energy is incorporated into the final draft.
Read Aloud
Read your writing aloud. See how it feels leaving your mouth. Is that how you normally speak? Does it feel too formal? Casual? Conversational? Funny? If your tone doesn’t match the book’s brand (your voice), it’s time to do a—
Character Pass
TV writers use a technique called “character pass” to make sure their characters have a distinct voice. The writer reads their entire script focusing on one character at a time. This ensures the character’s language is consistent and specific from top to bottom.
Do this exercise after the technical work is complete. You certainly don’t want to get distracted with how things sound as you’re developing the overall story – the icing doesn’t come before the cake. When the time comes, do a character pass in your book to make sure everything is consistently: funny, sarcastic, cheeky, conversational, formal, or professional – whatever you’re going for.
Artists don’t stop being artists when they close their laptop, it spills over into everything they do. If these exercises are done with a spirit of creativity and play, you can’t lose. Enjoy the process!
David L. Hancock, Founder
Morgan James Publishing