One of the questions I received from a reader was about voice. He wanted to know how he could establish his voice as a writer or determine if he had one and how to strengthen it if he did.

Establishing your voice as a writer can be achieved by doing three things. The more you do them, the more you will feel you have things figured out.

1. Know Yourself

This seems like a no-brainer, but you won’t believe how many people realize how much they really don’t know about themselves when going through business coaching. There were so many things I didn’t know about myself when I started business coaching in 2011. Things that were holding me back from achieving my dreams and succeeding in my business. My political views started to develop, opinions took form, and areas of resistance were revealed so I could work on striking them down.

“There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes.” William Makepeace Thackeray

Start writing in a journal if you haven’t already. Ask yourself questions. Here are a few to get you started:

What gets you worked up?
What rubs you the wrong way?
What inspires you?
What motivates you?
What do you want your life to look like?
What are your dreams?

2. Experience “Life”

It’s hard to think of things to write when we haven’t gone out and experienced life. Get out there, spend time with friends, and do fun things on the weekends or in the evenings a couple times a week. No one was meant to sit at home by themselves. Get out there – have a positive impact on people’s lives. If you don’t have any friends, join a small group through your church or join a writers group and make them. If you want friends, you have to be a friend.

If you live in a small town, find people to hang out with. Take a short trip to the big city and visit a museum or a planetarium. Just make a point to leave the comfort of your home so you can experience new things.

In addition to experiencing “life”, read books. Expand your knowledge. Learn new things. Find topics that interest you. Read business books. This will help define your own opinions and your own voice. And of course, reading a lot will also help improve your writing skills.

3. Write

Lastly (and most importantly), write! Write a lot! I’ll let you take it from here!

Jody Calkins, Writer & Editor at The Writer’s Cauldron, helps writers get past self-doubt, procrastination, fear, lack of motivation and inspiration, and other forms of resistance so they can start getting the words on the page and living the life of their dreams.

Be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter for daily writing-related tips and support.

Need new writing ideas? Join me for 7 days and you’ll have plenty of ideas to get you started! Go here: http://writerscauldron.emeryroad.com/ideas

About Jody Calkins 

Jody Calkins is a freelance writer and copywriter for global business management and leadership development corporations. She specializes in writing articles, case studies, newsletters, and reports that showcase her clients’ expertise and unique capabilities.

In her spare time, she enjoys writing fiction, reading thrillers of all kinds, cuddling with her three cats, and singing to her chickens, who don’t seem to mind that she can’t sing!