How Do I Find My Voice As a Writer?

Is my writing not "good enough"?

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

These days, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck and uninspired to write for two main reasons:

1. Feeling like my voice and writing style are “not good enough”

   I’ve been seeing these articles on how to write “catchy headlines” and how to structure your articles the “right way.”

   When I look at my own work, I can’t help but feel like there’s something wrong with what I’m doing. I tried following some of these tips, but it feels so forced and it doesn’t resonate with me.

   Do I really need to write according to the “prescribed way”?

2. Feeling like my content does not provide “enough value”

   I sometimes can’t help but feel like my writing doesn’t provide as much value compared to the successful creators who are much more credible and can offer practical advice on how to grow your audience, how to write viral notes, how to monetize your writing, etc.
   I know that these are all relevant topics, but I’m a beginner myself with no such results in these areas yet—how can I even talk about these things?

   Is giving actionable advice the only way for me to provide value to my audience?

These negative thoughts have been on my mind, and here’s how I’ve been dealing with them:

Different Doesn’t Mean Wrong

There are many ways to give value to your audience. Just because others do it this way doesn’t mean that it’s the only way or the “right” way to be a successful writer.

Nicolas Cole’s 4A Framework helps put things into perspective. He says that there are 4 common “voices” or approaches used in non-fiction writing:

1. Actionable — “How to…”

   • Examples: Tips, Tools, Hacks, Advice, Resources

2. Analytical — Based on data

   • Examples: Trends, Reasons, Numbers, Examples, Teardowns

3. Aspirational — “If I can do it, you can do it too.”

   • Examples: Lessons, Mistakes, Reflections, Personal stories, Stories of growth

4. Anthropological — Factors influencing human behavior and society

   • Examples: Fears, Failures, Struggles, Paradoxes, Observations

When I think of my favorite writers, I can't pinpoint any specific actionable tips that completely blew my mind. However, what stands out are the mindset shifts and alternative ways of thinking they introduced, which truly changed my life.

I resonate more with the aspirational and anthropological approaches to writing. That’s why if you noticed from my previous articles, a lot of them have the words “how to” in the title, but I approach the topic in a different way, with more emphasis on the psychological or philosophical perspective.

I believe that to solve a problem, we must first understand what causes it in the first place.

For example, if you don’t understand why you find it hard to figure out what you want to do in life (e.g. the pressure to conform and our tendency to escape from freedom), no amount of actionable tips or advice from others will work out.

Instead of giving advice, I prefer documenting my journey and sharing my reflections on the struggles I’m experiencing, hoping that you’ll find insights and lessons you can apply to your own life.

I also want to open up a conversation on these topics and encourage you to share your own thoughts and feelings, because most of the time, we don’t really need advice—we just want someone to listen and understand what we’re going through.

Essence Over Expression

I’ve only started writing recently and my #1 priority for now is to just keep on writing and building my portfolio. It’s hard to do that when I feel pressured to meet all these “standards” that they set on what makes “good writing.”

I’ll never forget this article by Ryan Holiday on the most common mistake that aspiring writers make:

“The problem is identifying as a writer. As though assembling words together is somehow its own activity. It isn’t. It’s a means to an end. And that end is always to say something, to speak some truth or reach someone outside yourself.

Deep down, you already know this. Take any good piece of writing, something that matters to you. Why is it good? Because of what it says. Because what the writer manages to communicate to you, their reader. It’s because of what’s within it, not how they wrote it.

No one ever reads something and says, “Well, I got absolutely nothing out of this and have no idea what any of this means but it sure is technically beautiful!” But they say the opposite all the time, they say “Goddamn, that’s good” to things with typos, poor grammar and simple diction.

Good writing saves nothing. On the other hand, a deep, compelling or stunning message can float writers who struggle to even complete a sentence.”

— Ryan Holiday, “So You Want To Be A Writer? That’s Mistake #1”

It’s not about writing per se.
It’s about having something to say.
Better yet, it’s about having something you can’t not say.

Having a message that you can’t help but share—this is the essence of writing.

Don’t worry too much about the expression; you’ll get better at this with more practice. The important thing is conveying your message to your audience.

You Don’t Find Your Voice—You Use It

I often come across the phrase “finding your voice as a writer” so I decided to use this in the title. But actually, for me, this phrase doesn’t make that much sense.

How do you find your voice? Where do you look for it?

It’s not about finding your voice.
It’s about finding the courage to use it.

We already have our own voice—our unique way of speaking and writing.

It’s just that we compare ourselves to others and listen to all these people telling us that we should speak and write a certain way. As a result, we feel pressured to conform and fit in. We’re afraid of being different and not being “good enough” according to other people’s standards.

We fail to realize that our unique voice is precisely what will make us stand out and be memorable to our readers.

I’m a beginner, so I write like a beginner.
Why would I pretend to be an expert or someone that I’m not?

Of course, my writing won’t be perfect or that polished and sophisticated, but what matters is that I’m sharing what I can with what I have.

I’m allowing my style and voice to grow naturally with me as I mature, both as a person and a writer, while continuing to practice my craft.

"I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles." — Shannon Hale

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If you’re struggling with the same problems, I just want to say that you’re good enough as you are and that your voice matters 💖

Let’s stay true to ourselves and keep sharing our ideas in our own unique ways ✨

— Alea

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