Hey everyone! 

 Happy New Year— it’s 2025!

I still can’t believe it. Hopefully this year won’t go by as quickly as the last one did.

 I was considering what to post, and I decided what better way to start the new year than with a writing advice post that can (hopefully) motivate my fellow writers as we set goals and make plans for our writing journey this next year. So today we’re gonna be talking about writing voice. But what is it exactly? 

 Your writing voice is the style in which authors write their stories— it’s essentially what sets the tone of the story. It can depend on the writer’s personality, vocabulary, and other personal factors, and each writing voice is unique to their writer. Think of authors that you know— they all have unique writing styles as shown in their stories, and you may like or dislike a story because of its writing style. 

 Many writers struggle with ‘finding’ their writing voice. They may not be satisfied with the way they write or not know how best to structure their thoughts on paper. So that’s what I’m here to talk about today. Here are three ways you can develop your own writing voice! 

 1. Read 

 Every author has their own unique way of writing, so a good way to help find your own is by reading books by different authors. You may find some writing styles that you love, and others that you don’t love as much. Looking at different writing styles can make it easier for you to determine the kind of writing that you like and help you be inspired by other authors. If you find an author whose writing style you really like, it can be tempting to copy their style. But in my opinion, it’s impossible to perfectly copy someone else’s writing voice (unless you’re copying what they write word for word). There can be similarities, but there will always be a part of you in your writing, even if you’re trying to write in someone else’s style. Of course that doesn’t mean you should try and plagiarize another author’s work, but trying to write in another author’s style can be a good way to practice finding your own writing style. 

 You can also read over your old stories. While your writing style is probably different now than it was then, you may still find similarities between then and now. My writing style has definitely changed over the years, but when I looked back I found a similar tone in my writing style, which helped me to develop my writing style even more. 

 2. Experiment 

 After you’ve read different types of writing voices, experimenting with various kinds is a good way to develop your own unique writing voice. You can try to write more description or focus more on dialogue. You can try to write in shorter, more consice sentences or you can experiment with a more flowery, expressive style. You can try for a more serious tone or a more humorous one. You can write in a formal style or a casual one. Try out different narrative point-of-views— you may find that it’s easier for you to write in first person point-of-view than in third person, or vice versa. 

 It may take a while before you find something you’re satisfied with— I’m honestly still developing mine. That’s where the last step comes in. 

 3. Write 

 This one seems obvious, but just keep writing. Honestly this is the most effective out of the three as I’ve found from experience. You can read other people’s styles and experiment with different kinds, but in the end whatever you write is your writing style. Your style may change and you may not be satisfied with it yet, but it’s important to remember that what you wrote is unique because you’re the one who wrote it. There’s no such thing as a perfect writing style, but you don’t have to look far to find your writing style. All you have to do is write. Just keep writing.  

 Thanks for reading! – Em