Writing Your Voice Alive

"Our egos, monsters that they are, are desperately afraid that people won't accept our authentic selves. That's why we fear speaking in public. And making a toast. And telling someone we love them. And putting our creativity on display. And wearing that. We're afraid that when we put ourselves out there, we won't be worthy, lovable, understood, or good enough. We're afraid to be authentic because we're so worried about being authenticated, as in validated, like a piece of art that some expert is going to pass judgment on." - Katie Goodman, O Magazine, March 2007.

Is your writing authentic? Are you afraid of letting you come through in your writing? What does your writing voice sound like? Do you have a voice? If you do, is it the voice you want people to hear?

Voice in writing is important because you can't write effectively and powerfully without voice. You will never impact others without voice. It's voice that attracts readers.

What exactly is voice?

• Voice is personality. Just as you could identify someone's personality to another (she's smart, but she lacks common social skills), you can identify voice in writing.
• Voice is allowing your passion and enthusiasm for a subject to show through.
• Voice is the author peeking through the words, simple narration, or chronology of events. It's what makes it unique, and makes a piece of writing one person's over another's.
• Voice is truth. To bring voice into your writing, you have to be authentic. You must know what you believe, what you are writing about, and why.

It's possible that you are challenged by writing in your own voice. You might not be sure what your voice actually is, or perhaps you're afraid to use your voice. It can feel too personal and too revealing, and we understand that. But if you don't reveal the person behind the words, then why would someone want to read what you write?

Writing Your Voice Alive will help you recognize voice in writing, others' as well as your own, and help you learn how to create voice when you write.

You'll read others' writing and try to determine voice. You'll practice using voice in your own writing. You'll learn how to create and develop your voice in your writing.

By the end of Writing Your Voice Alive, you truly will have awakened and strengthened your voice, and your writing will be alive.

Do these statements apply to you?

I write like an instruction manual translated into English.

My writing doesn't sound like me.

I speak well, but I can't seem to bring the same facility into my writing.

My writing, while correct, can be a cure for insomnia.

I've seen writing with more personality from a ten-year-old.

Discover the power of your voice in your writing.

Ready to register?