Let the Words Out: Writing From the Heart & Finding Your Voice

Acknowledge Your Voice

A half written novel hidden away in a drawer or stored on a forgotten disc; song lyrics on paper napkins; beautiful prose or poetry composed in your head.

Long before I clicked the "Publish" button, I was scribbling out works in my head and on occasion in a small lined notebook.

Almost two years ago, I started typing the words, letting them out of my head, and I've been letting them flow ever since. As I write, everything becomes clearer and clearer to me, and yet there is even more that remains shrouded in shadows, which has yet to be explored. Writing has been such a blessing to me; so cathartic; so liberating.

Tonight I'm giving a program on "Writing From Your Heart and Finding Your Voice" and I thought I'd share some of my thoughts with you as I prepare for tonight.

Start writing

Writing is a way to express yourself, share your thoughts and ideas, tell a story and release your emotions, come clean about something that's too hard to say out loud, etc. It can be a letter, an email, a journal, a blog post, an article or a book, etc. The only way to write is to... well, write. I have found that writing begets writing. That is to say that the more you write, the more easily the words will come.

I write something almost every day and have been doing so for about a year now and the year before that I was writing about 4 to 5 times a week. It has become a habit. Sometimes I write for pay; sometimes I write for me; and sometimes I write for my audience.

Find Your Muse

Every artist needs a muse; and writing is connecting and molding words into works of art. For me, it's music, natural beauty, my family, my passions and my feelings that often inspire me to ponder questions from the depths of my soul and explore the perplexities of the world we live in.

Inspiration can come from anywhere: a bulletin board, a chance meeting, an overheard conversation, a friend, a book, a movie, an experience, the lyrics of a song, a particular mood, a news story, an idea, a walk around the lake; you name it. Once you start writing, you might be surprised where you find inspiration.

Use Your Senses

After I had been writing for a while, I began to notice that I am always ticking off mental notes about how something looks or what had been said or what something sounds like or how something made me feel, etc. for me to draw upon later if it fits with something I am writing. You must allow yourself to truly experience how and what you and others feel, see, hear, smell and taste.  

Writers are in touch with their emotions and all of their senses. This brings authenticity to your writing; this helps others relate their experiences to yours.

It will also allow you to explore your own thoughts and perceptions. You might be surprised to find how you feel about something or find that your reaction to something is not what you would have imagined, which leads to my last point.

Be Honest with yourself {& your audience}

Some days I sit down to write something on a particular topic and end up writing something totally unrelated. But if the words or emotions are there, I allow them to come out. I have been surprised by the thoughts and feelings that have bubbled up during my writing sessions. There are times my writing reduces me to tears and other times I am reminded of a poignant time in my life or a funny story from years ago.

Whatever it is that works its way to the surface, you must be willing to allow it to come to light and you must be honest with yourself. If others will read what you have written, forging a story or veiling your true feelings will be apparent to your audience. If you are writing for you, then there is no sense in being dishonest with yourself.

When you are honest, your story will mean more to you and your readers. It will give them a sense of who you are and will allow the reader to stand in your shoes for a bit. When you are honest with your feelings, your critics will find it hard to pick at you. It's hard to disparage a respectful, sincere account even if you're in disagreement with the subject. 

The Scoop

When you start writing allow yourself to be awash in your feelings and observations and let down your guard, your voice will emerge from your words. You can expect that your voice will change as your perspectives change. Don't fight it; just keep writing.

It's alright if that voice is angry or afraid or sassy or funny, all of these things or none of these things. All you can be is you. Writing shouldn't be forced; have patience with yourself as you begin gathering words and searching for your voice; it will come.

And don't get too caught up in the grammar. Use Spell Check and do your best. You might miss your timidly emerging voice for the worrying about the rule on semi-colons v. colons or whether it's OK to end a sentence with a preposition; don't. The words hold all the power; unleash them.

To borrow a line from Ratatouille and slightly modify it: Anyone can write. Over and out...

Anna

Comments

[Kelli]

I will save this post and read over and over. Such great words of advice. Thank you!

[Anna]

Thanks, Kelli! You are always so kind and supporting!

Anna