Don’t Stop Writing Until You Learn How to Sing

What writing courses can’t teach you is something you already have

“You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write.” — David Morrell

The problem with writing courses is they cannot teach you how to sing. Anyone can learn the technical parts of writing. If your technical skills are rough or rusty, take a basic college English course. You’ll learn how to construct a sentence, use punctuation, and write a term paper. But finding your unique “voice” is something they can’t teach you.

If you’re struggling to find your voice, stick with me. I promise you it's there. Deep inside you, it wants freedom.

Accept yourself to unshackle your writer’s voice

Every day, I read stories written by people who struggle to write. They write about having writer’s block. They feel they don’t have good ideas. They’re concerned that their stories are not getting readers.

The hardest part of writing is being you. If you want to be a successful writer, accept who you are without reservation. Don’t worry about your ideas or readership or followers. As you find your writing voice, these issues will resolve themselves.

You will never be J.K. Rowling, John Grisham, or Dean Koontz. There are thousands of people who want to write like these modern authors. They try to emulate them, but when they sit down and write, the words they write aren’t the same as their favorite author. Their sentences don’t “flow” the same. Word combinations aren’t as special. Paragraphs don’t ring as true as those in the latest bestseller.

Do not try being anyone but you. There is only one Stephen King, and there is only one you. Find who you are and you will find your writer's voice. The way to find who you are as a writer is to write and write a lot. It won’t come to you with your first story. It may not come at your 50th story. But if you don’t quit, it will come to you. You won’t even sense that it’s arrived. But one day you’ll read a story you’ve written and you’ll know you’ve found your voice.

Your experiences make you a unique writer

Stephen King modeled Carrie White from 2 girls he knew in grade school. One girl always wore the same clothes to school every day. Then, one day, she wore a different outfit, and the children mocked her even more. The other girl was epileptic and an introvert. Her mother was a fundamentalist Christian. All he needed was the story. King read a story about girls who might have telekinetic power. His book, Carrie, was born when he brought the parts together.

If you write from your life experiences, you won’t experience writer’s block. By writing about events from your life, you’ll bring life to your stories. And the stories you write will interest your readers.

Writing with passion will reveal your writer’s voice

If you want to succeed as a writer, write with passion. Passionate writing solves many problems all by itself. When you write with passion, you will use active sentences. Your sentence lengths will automatically vary. And your story will flow. Instead of struggling with a story for hours, the story will scroll from your mind.

Do not fear your passion. It is your writer’s voice.

Writing is much like singing a song. The best songs tell a story that resonates with the listeners. When you write, your best stories will be those that sing. They will touch people’s emotions. And they will flow from your mind if you write with passion.

If you want to touch people, write with passion. If you do they will read everything you can write. You will have an endless number of followers and fans.

Keep David Morell’s quote in your mind. Print it and tape it to your computer. It is the secret to writing. “You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write.”

The world is waiting to read what you write. So write with passion and make your story sing.

Now get writing.