One of my favorite comments to receive about my books is that I have an original voice. This is something that is hard to put your finger on, but it’s obviously there, and you’ve likely noticed the same thing about your favorite authors.
For example, it would be nigh-on impossible to mistake China Mieville for Herman Melville, even though both of them are known for their verbosity and rich descriptions. If you handed me a passage from either author, I’d be able to identify them without issue.
But how does this happen? It’s a strange and magical process that can’t be fully described, though I will do my best.
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Read widely and as often as possible.
Beginner writers often complain that their authorial voice shifts every time they read a good book. They mistakenly believe this means they should read less to preserve their style.
In reality, this means you need to read more.
I used to have this problem; it can be seen all throughout my earlier works. However, the more I practiced, the less my voice changed depending on what I was reading. Nowadays, I might glean a cool word from a book, or get an idea for a good plot twist, but my actual writing doesn’t change at all.
One key element of this is to read both fiction and non-fiction from every genre you can get your hands on – and every time period, too. Given that I have a British Literature degree, I read a lot of Victorian novels during my formative writing years, and this shines through in my books.
I would argue that you should read even more from genres you don’t touch than ones you do, as this can help you stand out in a market full of copycats.
If you’re a fantasy writer, read history books. If you’re a true crime author, read comedies. There are subtle shifts in tone, syntax, and grammar throughout these genres that you’ll start to pick up on over time, incorporating them into your work.
I offer tons of great book recommendations in my Monday Missive – and most of them are not fantasy. By exploring both fiction and non-fiction, I create a richer and more cohesive writing style.
Practice Exercise
Go on Goodreads, or your favorite book platform, and hunt through your friends’ recommendations. Find something that sounds absolutely unlike anything you’d want to read. Now read it.
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Let your voice be influenced.
You might think that you should fight the urge to mimic your favorite authors, but that’s not true. In fact, this can be a golden opportunity to find your style by mixing and matching what you admire about others.
When I was in college, I played around in other peoples’ Tumblr inboxes, anonymously pretending to be a celebrity. I would carefully review his interviews, speaking patterns, and so on until I could perfectly mimic him – or, at least, well enough to fool a bunch of other young adults. It got to a point where other anons were pretending to be me, and I had to come clean because those anons were saying shitty things.
While harmless and silly, this was also instructive. I found my voice by matching someone else’s, learning what exactly makes someone sound like themselves.
Practice Exercise
Find an author you like and copy a passage from their text. To ensure you get it exactly right, physically write it down. Use a more obscure one; just flip to any page in the book.
Now come up with a new topic and try to match that style as closely as possible. Type up both passages and ask someone to tell you which one you wrote and which one was the original. If they are able to guess, try again.
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Compare all your favorite authors.
Each of your authors represents something you like about craft, especially if they come from separate genres and time periods. There is so much that goes into writing, and each author puts emphasis on different aspects. Some are very into lyrical prose, while others have a very dry, laconic style.
As an example, here are some of my favorite authors and what I admire about them. I’ve put them in mostly chronological order of when I started to get into each one.
Brian Jacques: Homey descriptions, with less focus on plot and more on atmosphere.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Interesting characters that have stood the test of time, and using the “least descriptive” POV to create mystery.
Herman Melville: Rhapsodic descriptions of faraway places and the interweaving of interesting factoids.
Willa Cather: Impressionistic descriptions that provide a sense of movement.
Emile Zola: Journalistic style with emphasis on very precise, surgical descriptions.
China Mieville: Intricate plots and lush descriptions.
Terry Pratchett: “Voicey,” irreverent style.
Mo Xiang Tong Su: Fascinating, complex characters and an exuberant, “fanfic” style of writing.
Jack Weatherford: Attention to detail and the ability to turn dry facts into an exciting narrative.
Most of the earlier influences have exactly what I emphasize in my works: descriptions and characters. As we get closer to current time, the influences are less present because I’ve solidified my style and don’t borrow from others as often.
If you put together a list of your favorite authors and what you like about them, you’ll start to see what you’re drawn to and, therefore, what you should prioritize in your writing.
Practice Exercise
As I have done here, gather up all your favorite authors and jot down a few notes on what you enjoy about their work. Identify what makes them special to you, in as precise a detail as you can. This will help you see what you want to strengthen in your own work.
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Review your writing and look for trends.
Often, we review our writing only to edit things, but you can do more with it than just fix. Looking at your own work can also help you see how much you’ve improved and what you’re good at, which can nurture your voice.
Something I have noticed about my own work is that it reads like a hybrid between academic writing and fiction. My writing is all about very precise adjectives, short interjections, careful remembering of details.
This isn’t surprising; after all, I’m an SEO writer and have a Master’s degree. I only got serious about fiction in my 30s, with much of my earlier years spent writing research papers.
If you review your projects, you’ll start to see what “periods” of your writing life you liked most. Is there more passion and energy in your nonfiction writing than fiction? This could suggest you should go with my method: infuse that academic flair into your fiction rather than trying to be someone you’re not. On the other hand, if your nonfiction sounds flat, but your fiction writing is full of flavor, then lean into that.
Practice Exercise
Gather up as much of your writing as you can, from your earliest years onward. Read them as if you’re just the average reader rather than the author (this is often easier with your earlier work). What do you notice? Are there trends in themes, language, word flow?
Circle sentences you really liked. What do you like about them? Jot them down. We’ll come back to that in a bit.
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Write in different genres.
During my practice phase, I wrote 1.6 million words for the Touken Ranbu fandom, but it wasn’t just the same thing over and over again. Instead, I delved into numerous different subgenres, from supernatural thrillers to fluffy romances. Not only did this influence the overall structure of the Eirenic Verses, but it also helped me develop my voice.
Why? Because when you constantly throw yourself at different genres, you start to shake off all the things that feel inauthentic and home in on what really makes your writing unique. You’re not just pumping out genre fiction, but identifying what feels right to you.
The work is now elevated above the realm of genre and into something that’s entirely your own. You’ll also learn that it is mostly the plots and character tropes that define a genre, not a specific voice.
Practice Exercise
Identify what genre you intend to write in, then pick its diametric opposite and do some research. Finally, write something in that genre. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even publishable; the goal is to try something new.
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Gather your favorite words.
Most authors have words and phrases that they really, really like and use all the time. China Mieville’s is “scree;” mine is “succor.” Mo Xiang Tong Su, author of Grand Master of Demonic Cultivation, constantly has people “rendered speechless” or laughing in disbelief.
This can get annoying if you overuse it, but it can also become your trademark when implemented carefully. One or two unique words sprinkled throughout the text will become associated with you over time, especially as you produce more writing.
Practice Exercise
Write down unusual or interesting words you find. You could use one of my favorite resources, The Phrontistery, or simply leaf through the dictionary. There are also some social media pages dedicated to unusual words in English or other languages.
When you see cool words in a book or everyday life, note them in your list. Consider when and how you might use them, but be careful not to cram too many in your work at a time.
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Create a list of favorite sentences.
Most of us have had the experience of coming across a sentence that makes our heart ache or our mouth go dry. There’s something so perfect about that sentence, sometimes a quality we can’t fully define.
I’m not telling you to plagiarize. Rather, we want to understand why that sentence hit you in a certain way and how you may be able to replicate that.
The things we enjoy tell us something about what we want in our own work. Maybe it’s the punchiness, the flow, the absurdism, the simplicity. Whatever it is, identifying what resonates with you can be a powerful way to elevate your writing and find your voice.
Practice Exercise
Just like with your favorite words, start writing down your favorite sentences and where they come from. Once you’ve collected a list, go through and compare them, as you did with your favorite authors. Try writing a new sentence that has the same feel as the original. Does it feel right? Is it easy to replicate? Then you’ve hit on something about your own voice.
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As with humans, our writing matures until it forms an identity – its voice. You are not who you were as a baby or teenager, and your writing will also become significantly different than what it was when you were an adolescent.
I’m pretty set in my personality now that I’m in my 30s; likewise, my style is unlikely to change much, though other elements of my writing will mature along with me.
Finding your voice takes time. Practice and applied study can speed up this process, as can self-reflection and revision. One day, you’ll look back and see the seeds of your fully matured style in those earlier scribblings, amazed at how far you’ve come.