Oh, hi friends!
Voice.
What is it?
I think voice is all the writer has. There's experience. Research. Point-of-view. But without voice—the filter through which every word is communicated—everything would sound the same.
One of the reasons learning how to write musicals and songs has been difficult (sorry, challenging) is figuring out how to communicate voice through a constrained form. You might only have a few dozen words in a song, and they're supposed to illuminate character, subtext, time and place, oh and yes, moving the plot along is essential, too.
So where does voice matter in your life?
It's the same as with anything you write. An email, a book proposal, a tweet, a conversation. Every word counts. Choosing one adjective over another reveals voice. Throwing in an idiom does, too. Dragging someone else's work gives away your voice, too, and not in a flattering way.
Creating a newsletter, sharing a story, putting out a podcast, putting up a play. To me, these are pure expressions of a writer's voice. An actor expresses their voice through interpretation of character. A software engineer through beautiful lines of code.
"Authenticity" is a know-it-when-you-see-it feeling. But to me, authenticity just means communicating with your unfiltered voice, in a way that makes your intentions clear.
My worst work always appears when my voice is amplified or diminished in a way that doesn't quite sit right. It's not bad. But it's not pure.
If your message isn't getting across or you're not connecting with the right people, check the voice. Is it really yours?
Look at your project or work or caption and ask, Does this actually sound like me?
If not, keep trying.
Delete, adjust, gargle.
You’ll find it.
You’ll find it because we need it.
""Authenticity" is a know-it-when-you-see-it feeling. But to me, authenticity just means communicating with your unfiltered voice, in a way that makes your intentions clear."
This is a great take, Kara. I have a micro essay sitting in a folder somewhere that I've never been bold enough to publish. I wrote it when I was getting a little bullied by the terms "authentic self" and "one true voice" being tossed around, as if there is just one way to be or speak authentically. What I find, when navigating a world like Substack or social media, alongside business communications and personal interactions, is that I need a few different voices to connect with intention in all those different places! All the voices are mine! 🙂 But the audiences are different, so just as you wouldn't talk to a room full of strangers the same way you'd talk to a group of friends, I think there's room for our voices to ... modulate ... to make our intentions known to the right people at the right time. So, I appreciate the way you put this very much. I also think it's important for us not to let others determine what THEY think our authentic voice is. We're the only ones that can really know-it-when-we-feel-it. 💜
This one hit close to home. As someone who's done commissioned writing for marketing communications, I've completely lost my voice. Where do I begin reclaiming it?