It’s only natural that on the Fiction Team we love reading stories. Not only reading them, but critiquing them and often helping writers develop their plots and characters. Though we read an array of stories and serials, not one is the same. Stories, of course, might contain similar plots and themes, but at the same time these stories will be written with individual flair. This is commonly known as the writer’s voice.
The writing voice is what makes you unique. When you create characters and place them in story situations, your writing will adopt a particular tone and style. This might change from story to story, depending on the type of story it is and who it’s aimed at. But what remains true is the writing voice which binds everything together, and which is a reflection of the writer’s personality.
Don’t Copy – Be Unique
Our established “Friend” writers all have unique storytelling voices. That’s the beauty of writing, in that your writing voice will differ from that of your peers, just as your thoughts, likes and dislikes, are different. Though you can admire another writer’s work, don’t try to copy them; why copy someone else when you yourself are unique and have something special to say. Let your personality come to life on the page, and be transparent with your feelings when you write.
Let’s take a story scenario: Miss A and Mr B like each other, but the only chance they get to meet is by sharing the same bus into town. So how do you bring them together? Don’t write them as if it’s what you think the couple would do; write them as if it’s what you want them to do. That way you are bringing your own personality, your voice, to the writing table.
Write from your heart and with freedom, and you’ll find your own unique writing voice begins to shine.
You can find more tips in our Writing Tools section.
Alan Spink I am a member of the “Friend” Fiction Team. I enjoy working closely with writers and being part of the creative process, which sees storytelling ideas come to fruition. A keen reader, I also write fiction and enjoy watching football and movies in my spare time. My one tip to new writers is “write from your imagination”.
