One of the topics you hear mentioned in writing and blogging circles is writing or blogging voice. Most people recognize this as that particular quality that makes your writing or blogging your own. It’s your personal style, that unique feel that comes from your personality coming through your words.

This is vitally important to your success as a writer or blogger, but it’s not something that is easy to develop. Actually, it’s very simple to discover your voice. However, it takes some time and effort. Here are some tips to get you started on the path to finding and developing your own writing and blogging voice:

• Write every day. I wrote a guest post once for science fiction writer Tobias Buckell in which I contended that it was imperative to write every day in order to become a successful writer. I was a little taken aback when I received some comments critical of this assertion, but most commenters were supportive.

  The truth is that if you want to develop your abilities as a writer, just as in any other endeavor, you must do it frequently and with some consistency. Great baseball pitchers aren’t just born. They work hard to get to that level of competitiveness. You should do the same with your blogging.

  This doesn’t mean that you have to write a blog post every day. Just practice writing somehow. Write a post if you can, but at least try to write in a private journal or do some free writing on scrap paper. Exercise your writing skills. Soon, your voice will be evident.

• Write from your own experience. Writing that doesn’t come from personal experience often sounds forced and fake. This is why new writers are told to write what you know. Don’t try to sound like an authority on a topic in which you have no particular expertise or experience.

  Keep in mind, though, that you are an authority on your own experience. If you have tried internet marketing for a couple of months with moderate success (or, even none), you are the expert on what you have actually done. You may not have done things in the best way, but you can tell your readers with authority what you have done and what you have observed the results to be.

  Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should relate your traumatic experience at the dentist on your internet marketing blog, that is, unless you can make the story relevant to the topic of your blog. If you can do this, then by all means, do. Stories help to draw in your audience and show them that you’re a real person. People will relate to you much better and find your writing much more accessible.

• Write about your passions. What I’m talking about is trying to focus your writing on topics you have a passion for. Dipping into that reservoir of feeling can have a magical effect on your writing. Passion is contagious. When you write about something that you clearly love, your readers can tell and will respond to that. It will also make it much easier for you to find things to write about every day. If you’re into collecting scabs or wrestling dolphins, you may want to save that for your personal journal, though.
• Work on your grammar and spelling. You may ask why I’ve included this one. This one is more for your readers, but it’s still very important. The reason is that numerous grammar and spelling errors tend to distract readers from the topic and purpose of your writing, thus making it difficult for them to get a feel for your voice or what you’re trying to say. Working on your basic writing skills will go a long way toward helping you develop your voice as a writer. Take the time to nurture your writing abilities and you’ll be rewarded.

Hopefully, these few tips will give you some starting point for understanding where your voice as a writer comes from and how to work on it. Leave a comment with your own ideas and your own experiences. It’s good practice.