Remember: The Best Writers Are Always Authentic
How to sharpen your authentic writing voice
This question popped into my head early on, and I believe it does for any writer or entrepreneur early on in their career:
What technique or twist can I use to increase exposure and be liked by a wide range of people?
Sure, the genesis of your creative project or business venture usually stems from a unique or useful idea that you are passionate about. There is opportunity and demand, but more importantly, your passion project and skills fill a void in a particular market or meet a need people are searching for.
After the initial enthusiasm of getting started though, then comes the double-edged sword of sharpening your technique. Because what drives this is naturally, “What can I do to grow and expand my blog/business/side hustle”?
In order to temper this natural appetite for growth, there need to be guardrails implemented so that the essence and meaning of your writing remains strong, instead of falling into the trap of striving for growth and income at whatever cost. Here are things to keep in mind on your writing journey, especially if you are publishing online on a blog or platform.
You Have a Unique Voice
Remember that you have a unique voice that comes through in your writing. Everyone has their own unique voice. Sometimes we have to shape or mold that voice to fit certain restraints or categories for a job, such as advertisement copywriting or ghostwriting.
But when you are writing from the soul, when you’re not on the clock, when you feel a nudge to express and create and speak, that’s when you cannot allow any resistance to get in your way and hinder your voice.
Your voice is unique because each and every one of us has a unique story we are writing with our lives.
So when the critic in your head comes around and starts sowing seeds of doubt and tempting you to stay away from certain topics, or worse, not even writing and pressing ‘publish’ at all, defy the critic by bringing your words to life, anyway.
Be Authentic, But Be Consistent
My goal in writing this article is to encourage you to keep being true to yourself in your writing because that is what will produce the most fulfillment in you.
However, the best writers, along with being authentic, are also consistent. Bloody consistent. Like, day in and day out, rain or shine, consistent.
William Faulkner is attributed with this well-known saying in writing circles:
I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.
Ironically, you will usually find that by setting a goal and a steady pace toward achieving that goal, your authenticity will be sharpened through repeated practice.
Many novice writers may write amazing things but fall for the illusion that they must wait for the divine strikes of inspiration to download into their spirits before they can repeat the few pieces they’ve written before.
This thinking will dismantle you, and you won’t make any meaningful progress on your writing journey.
Don’t worry about losing authenticity by forcing yourself to write every day or every week. Your habits and momentum will be strengthened, your writing practice will improve, and with that, your unique voice will come into its own even more.
Put Your Spin on Trusted Methods & Techniques
There are writing techniques and best practices to consider, whether you’re writing articles, novels or poetry. I’m sure you’ve already noticed this simply through reading these things.
The trick here is learning those best practices and understanding those best practices to the point where you feel comfortable enough breaking certain rules or putting a spin on those techniques that enhance the expression and individuality of your writing.
There will always be nay-sayers out there who may want to criticize your style. Listen to what they have to say, try to understand where they’re coming from, and then keep doing what you’re doing. As Ryan Holiday says, the Ego is the enemy. If you shut down from criticism, then your endurance wasn’t built up enough.
Resiliency comes when you stick to your voice and what you have to say while continuously learning and taking in feedback and not letting your ego get in the way.
Write From the Heart
Finally, authentic writers will always write from the heart. They remove their ego, put their spin on traditional methods, they’re consistent and always learning, but above all, they write what truly needs to be expressed from their soul, for the benefit of the reader.
That last part is equally as important as being authentic: keeping the reader in mind while writing is the difference between a novel, blog post, or article, and a diary entry.
It is possible to write from the heart while keeping the reader in mind. Just ask yourself —
Why would someone want to click on my blog post or article? What am I offering them?
How am I improving the lives of my readers, whether through education, encouragement, empathy, practical advice, or entertainment?
You’ll be surprised over time though, how many people have been looking for true, honest, and authentic writing, that comes from the heart.
Stay true to who you are in your writing, keep improving your craft, and over time the right readers will find your work and be better off for it.
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