Gather Round...

What's your writing voice? When someone reads your work, do they smile their special smile? Do they know who wrote without even asking? Does your voice shine through?

It's not the vocabulary, the grammar, the proper (or improper) punctuation, tHe FuNkY CaPiToLiZaTiOnS, or any of that other syntactical mess. Trying to get all of those rules right just grants you the satisfying effect of sounding just like a snobby prick with nothing better to do. I guess maybe some people want to be known as The Thesaurus Guy, or Grammar Police, but that's not voice.

The voice is in all of us, a different shade for every heart. But you've got to LISTEN for it. Only when you hear the VOICE can you properly use your own. That little force sitting in the corner of a dusty attic, muttering quietly to herself about what sounds just right. Mixing and matching, drawing from the pool of experience, looking for that almost perfect fit. Adding in a pinch of sarcasm, a dash of melodrama, or just dumping in the whole jar of storytelling. Speaking of storytellers, they're the ones you've got to talk to. The best of them practically created this art and they wield their words like a master swordsman and his blade.

If you would hear me out, I could spin webs for you. This little dish is just the appetizer. But do remember one thing. Keep your theme obvious. No one likes having to argue about how much better their interpretation is than yours. After all, misinterpreted books have led to wars, y'know...