Yesterday a commentator asked me about voice in writing. Her question was whether or not it was possible to write using two entirely different personalities. (My link to her here is a little thank-you for asking a question that inspired this post.)
This post isn’t exactly an answer to her question, but rather a reflection on the importance of voice in blogging.
There are many types of writing where voice is rather unimportant. You don’t want to know, for example, who wrote the instructions for your income tax forms. You’re probably not interested in who wrote the owner’s manual for your automobiles. Unless the author is a celebrity, you probably don’t care who wrote your cookbook. Unless they are writing an editorial (or sometimes a feature), most newspaper writers are taught to be objective and avoid including any personal thoughts or opinions in their news stories.
Blogging is exactly the opposite from these types of writing and from the way many writers were trained. Voice is key for a successful blogger.
Voice is why I feel that I “know” Angela, Tammi, Matt, Mig, Lillie, and Yvonne – even though we’ve never met face to face. I’m a frequent enough visitor at each of their blogs that when I read something Lillie has written I can think to myself, “that sounds just like the way that Lillie would approach that situation.”
Let’s face it. If all I wanted to do was learn about politics, creative writing, article writing, public relations, freelance writing, etc., then I could easily go over to the public library and check out any number of text books on the topic. Getting information on the subject is not quite enough for me. I want to hear about it from someone who has been there, done that.
That’s where blogs come in. That’s why voice in blogs is so important. I’m convinced that I’m like a lot of blog readers in that when I want to learn about something new I want to learn about what it’s really like, not just hear the hard and dried facts. What does it feel like to be a ProBlogger, for example? What’s the true inside scoop on making a living online? These are questions that only blogs, not informative articles, can answer.
How can you find a voice for your blog? My suggestion would be to read over your posts and ask yourself if there’s enough of you in them. Thank about how you would explain the topic to one of your close friends (if they were really interested). That’s the way you should write your posts if you want your voice to shine through.
Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.
12 responses so far ↓
1 Helen Ginger // Sep 13, 2007 at
I totally agree with you. People new to blogging may find it takes a little time to develop their voice. I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year, but I found my voice years ago because I’ve been doing a weekly newsletter for writers for eight years now. Blogging seemed natural and it gives you a great way to express your “voice” as well as share. Even more, it’s a great way to know other bloggers and to get to know those who post comments to your blog.
2 Jennifer // Sep 13, 2007 at
Wow! I get my very own post dedication which includes the links of some other greats. Wowee!
3 Laura // Sep 13, 2007 at
Hi Helen!
I think it’s true that some writers, who may have been taught to avoid including personal thoughts, may have trouble using voice when they first start to blog.
Hi Jennifer – You never know when I’m going to do something crazy like that!!
4 Mig // Sep 14, 2007 at
Hi Laura,
Thanks for the link love. It got my attention. 🙂 I came to visit you now and then, but I left no comments because I was always in a rush. You’ve done some pretty amazing things lately and this entry is one of them.
What you say is true. I also feel like knowing your voice although I never met you face to face. You used a metaphor, but I do feel your voice like warm and kind, with a touch of scholastic authority.
Mig
5 Robert Hruzek // Sep 14, 2007 at
Laura, great post! One additional benefit from finding your voice: it makes writing a constant stream of fresh content MUCH easier… and way more fun! Once you no longer have to concentrate so much on who you are, you can start spending more time on what to say!
6 Walter Burek // Sep 14, 2007 at
Hi Laura,
Truer words were never voiced. Any one who is serious about blogging should read this post.
Walter
7 Laura // Sep 14, 2007 at
Hi Mig! Thanks to the amazing 😉 MyBlogLog widget, I know that you’ve been by. I just wanted to point to a few folks who use their voice consistently and well. (There are a lot of other bloggers that I could have linked to as well.)
Robert — That is the thing with blogging, isn’t it? It’s important to post often. I agree with you that using your own voice makes that easier.
Hi Walter! Wow, thanks for the compliment. It means a lot.
8 Angela // Sep 14, 2007 at
I didn’t realize I had much of a voice in the blog world. Thanks! I would say in order to have a voice sometimes it means being willing to step out of your comfort zone and just be who you are.
It’s ok to have different voices as well. Sometimes you can mix and match them on one blog and other times it makes sense to have that blog where nobody knows it’s you.
It’s what makes blogging so much fun for me!! 😉
9 Matt Keegan // Sep 14, 2007 at
So very true, Laura. One’s own voice should speak forth through a blog and readers should expect a high level of consistency no matter what the subject spoken.
As far as the person wanting to know about having various voices or personalities, that is something the trained writer can do: learn the voice of the person you are writing for and adjust your writing style accordingly.
10 Lillie Ammann // Sep 15, 2007 at
So true, Laura. I feel like I know you and most of the bloggers you mentioned. Thanks for including me in that distinguished group.
As an editor, part of my job is to help writers find their voices. I tell writers my goal is to make their work sound like them … only better. Projects where the writer’s voice shouldn’t come through (academic research papers, for example) are challenging to me. I prefer editing fiction because voice is so important – not only the author’s voice but also the voices of individual characters. A reader should be able to read an excerpt of a novel and immediately recognize who wrote it (if they’re familiar with the author). They should also be able to read a snippet of dialogue and recognize which character said it. Of course, we never get every character so well-defined, but that’s the goal.
11 Vivienne Quek // Sep 17, 2007 at
When you stand firm on your belief and passion, it will come through your voice … even if English is not your native language.
12 Laura // Sep 18, 2007 at
Wow! This has been a busy topic!
Angela, you definitely have a recognizable voice.
Matt, I agree that a trained writer can write in various voices (especially if there is a sample to go from). If that is what someone is trying to do, I think it’s necessary to check over the writing carefully to make sure that you didn’t accidentally revert to your natural voice.
Lillie, That’s a great perspective on an editor’s role. Helping writers find their voices … I really like that.
Hi Vivienne! I especially admire those who learn and write in a language that is not their first language. I can only imagine how difficult that must be.