Finding Your Voice: Embracing the Writer in You

When I began to write, it was just for myself. For me, it was a source of entertainment on those long summer days when my mom had to work, and my brothers were off being boys. In the quiet of my home, writing became one of my closest friends. ​​

In writing, I confided all my secrets and my wildest dreams. There was no devil on my shoulder whispering in my ear telling me my writing wasn't good enough. I’d find a composition notebook, sprawl out on the floor and let my imagination paint the pages. There were so many ideas fighting for a chance to be written down. I created worlds better than the one and lived in, and within them I was in control. Writing was fun. I felt safe in the stories I wrote.

Now every word I type feels like a stab to my consciousness. 

Will anyone read this? What will they think? Will they like it? Oh, God, will they hate it? Will they hate me?

My doubt of the strength of my writing had a negative effect on my writer's voice. Because I was unsure of my ability as a writer, I began to question whether what I had to say was worth reading. 

In high school, teachers would ask me to write speeches for our programs and boast about papers I’d write for English class. Sometimes, they’d single me out and read my work aloud in front of the class. “Y’all should write more like Jessica,” they’d say.

In college, I’d sit in my creative writing workshops and listen to my peers dote on me about how expressive and personal my work was. One of my classmates once wrote to me in a workshop and said, “You write about love and every complex feeling it brings so well. Your writing is so innocent, yet so wise, which is a really hard combination of things to tackle.”

Even in all the praise, I still doubted myself.

Fear is funny like that. Even in knowing that I am a strong writer, I had no faith in my work.

I got lost in trying to find a way to feel confident in my writing. If you were to Google “how to find my voice in writing” right now, there will be tons of articles with steps and guides on how you can achieve this feat. They’re all wrong. It took me a while to understand this, but now I do. There is no article or class or even a guide to help you find your voice.

You already have your voice. The real goal is learning how to unleash it and let it be free. The writer within you is unique, and no article can coach or dictate what your voice will be. 

A writer’s voice is more than just the words they use. It’s more than the tone, the plot, and everything else you’re thinking of. Your voice comes from within. 

For me, it all started with a blank composition notebook and adolescent boredom. Finding my voice was easy, having confidence in it was another thing.

Sometimes, I have to stare at an empty document for hours until something comes to me. And that’s not because I have nothing to say, it's because I don’t know how to say it. The trick I’ve learned is not to rush yourself or think you have no voice. You may feel like what you’re writing is garbage, it just might be, but you wrote something, and honestly, that’s half the battle.

To find your voice, write from the heart. Write when you’re happy. Write when you’re sad. Write when you feel nothing at all. Just write.