Finding Your Voice

This post is going to be a bit different from the usual Ashen Sky posts. It's something I've been thinking about recently, and I thought I'd share.

A couple of days ago, I was asked by someone in the authoring community if I'd "found my voice" yet. My first thought was that, "Of course I've found my voice! I'm using it to speak to you right now!" Thankfully, though, I figured out what she meant. Or at least I thought I did.

I told her that my voice is first person, present tense, or third person, past tense. After some further thought, though, I don't think that's the only thing that determines your writer's voice. To me, a writer's voice is what makes your work different from everyone else's. Everyone has a different voice - both when they talk, and when they write.  It comes out in not only the way they write - their grammar, dialogue, etc. - but also their characters and the specific story they choose to tell.

I'm still finding my voice, but my writer's voice is very valuable to me. It's what makes my work unique and set apart. I want to make my voice as strong as it can be.

As of right now, I think I'm in the "puberty" stage of being a writer. (Bear with me here.) My voice is constantly changing, as are my thoughts, my ideas, my opinions. I'm developing as an author, and as a person. I'm being fine-tuned as I'm molded more and more into the person God wants me to be. And overall, I want God's voice to flow through my writing, no matter what I write about or what kind of an author I end up becoming.

So, now I'm curious. I know a lot of writers read this blog, and I want to hear your thoughts on this. Have you found your voice yet?

-Sky