Never Be Afraid To Use Your Writing Voice

At the beginning of this month I asked fellow bloggers what they think is more important: writing for yourself or writing what is popular. So far all of the kind bloggers have responded with the same thing: write for yourself.

Here is a moment of brutal honesty from my side: This surprised me.

At the same time I am not sure why. After all I also think it's more important to write for myself. I get tired of the same post written by different people but with the same voice. I know how damned tempting it is: you look at those famous bloggers who manage to write ten words about breaking their nail off and the next moment they have a thousand clicks and a book deal.

However, there is a big problem with trying to write what's popular:

Very recently, a blogger I follow decided that her blog would flourish more if she'd become more mainstream. So she started to write about what to buy for spring, and how to shave your legs. Then there was me, who had read her blog for the angry rants and uplifting message, which appeared to be  gone.

Now, I didn't even know there was more than two ways to shave your legs and honestly, I don't care so naturally the new types of posts were of little interest to me. Especially after I had noticed that along with the topics, she had "lost" her voice. These posts seemed to be copy and paste the style from someone else. To me they read like a school essay you have to write, not something she really enjoyed. And soon, it turned out that her clicks had reached a low. Now she has gone back to her old style for which I am glad. I think she'll do far better this way. After all these posts weren't the reason why I and others followed her. I do not mind a nail varnish post here and there, but then they need to sound like the blogger. Not like a school essay you are forced to write.

There is no point in trying to sound like "a blogger." I am not even sure what that is supposed to look like. Every blog I read has their own voice, may it be soothing, calm, or bitch-fight angry. So why sell that voice, that makes you stand out, to try and become a stereotype that doesn't actually exist.

And I am not saying that keeping your voice is going to limit you. It doesn't!

sounds like me

I am ready to admit any day that I am not a beauty blogger (surprise, ey?) and yet, I wrote a post about lipsticks a few weeks ago. I just had to find a way to make it sound like me. I made sure that I don't slip into a beauty blogger stereotype which simply isn't me.

In all honesty, I wasn't even sure if it would reach the average clicks I have for every post. After all it was make-up, on this blog?? What was I thinking?!

However, when I look at the stats now, it sits snugly in the middle of all the other posts. It has not become "an odd one out." Or an experiment. I like to think that this is so because the post still sounds like me.

What I am saying is: don't throw your own voice away.

Use the word fuck if you want to. Write about pink unicorns. Mention that you watch F1 races from 2009 when you can't sleep ("Not that I do this," she lied awkwardly) and that you have seven pillows on your bed. It gives your persona a character, something that appeals to people, something they recognize elsewhere and in all your works.

Your own voice is the best tool you have, so use it!