I thought about the idea of a writing voice. I thought about the benefit of having one. It is like a brand, or can be treated as such. People know what they are expecting when they think of you. There is some psychological safety involved. You and your voice become associated with a group of nouns and adjectives. It is great for artists because it means people are seeing your work. It is terrible for artists because it boxes you in.
For me, a brand, a voice, a personality is removed from my initial impulse to write. The relationship I have with writing is sacred, fun, challenging and at times, unbearable. And I always remember that I have a choice. I can choose to continue writing and I can choose to stop.
If working on creating a voice pulls me away from the act of writing, I should stay away from it. But the curious thing is – I do have a voice – my voice. If I let myself write, write and write, you will hear my voice. My truth comes out. On occasion, what seems insufferable to me, is of interest to others. The thing I create, the person who creates in time, moves on. They are not tethered to me. The person who is typing these words right now, is changing. When she looks back at these words a couple hours later, her thoughts and feelings are going to change. She will want to alter the passage to match what she is in that moment.
Do you see what I am trying to do here? I am letting the words take me. I experience beauty and imagination in its wildest forms through writing and reading. They make up my full body workout and they make up my happiness. I choose to devote all of my life to it.
Will the way I write lead to a less fruitful writing life, in terms of publications? I don’t know. I feel okay not knowing. Guess what, it keeps me on my toes. Wouldn’t you want to find out how the story ends?!
I do.
