Top Gear: Useful Internet Marketing Strategies & Tips to Move You Forward: 3 Quick Tricks to Find Your Voice as a Writer

Thursday 23 June 2016

3 Quick Tricks to Find Your Voice as a Writer

Finding your voice as a writer is sometimes as easy as picking a single person to write to.

BUT who you pick is important.

What you’re looking for is someone who puts you in the right headspace, someone who, when you think about talking to them, it loosens you up.

Because I think we all know what it’s like to feel locked up as a writer or creator.

So, here’s some tricks I use myself. Using these tricks I may not be the next Hemingway, but at least I’ll be publishing stuff.

Watch the video

I put this post together as a video originally. Here it is:

1. Write to a Friend of a Friend

Here’s a scenario that’s been helpful for me:

Let’s say there’s a few people who already subscribe to my blog (or podcast or video channel, etc.). One of them is Leslie, who I know a little because she comments on my blog.

Now, you might think, “hey, if I write to Leslie that should make things a little more natural, right?”

Sometimes, yes. But sometimes that doesn’t help me at all.

If writing for your Leslie isn’t helpful, think about Leslie’s friend.

Say Leslie shares an article with her friend Dave. “hey dave,” she says, “I think you’d like this article; you’re into this kind of stuff like I am.”

Personally, I find this example a little more exciting as a writer. I assume less about Dave. All I know is that he likes this topic.

So, in your own writing you can think about a friend of a friend and maybe that can loosen things up, get you in the right headspace to write and publish.

As I’m writing this out I admit it’s silly. But it works for me, dammit! :)

2. write to your spouse

True story: Stephen King says he wrote everything for one reader… his wife.

The funny parts were made so she would laugh. The scary, so she would thrill. Everything was tuned to her.

I’ve done the same thing: writing entire posts to my wife.

For some reason this frees me up a little… she knows a little about what I do, the topic of my writing, but I know deeply that she doesn’t know everything. If I’m going to communicate to her I’ve got to be clear.

Bonus tip: you can literally compose a post in an email to your person of choice. I’ve done this before and it’s helpful to get out of my head and into the work. There’s something about looking at an email composer that makes what you’re writing feel less serious, more practical. Try it.

3. write to your dad/mom

For me, it’s my dad. He kind of understands what I do, but he lived through decades I read history books about.

So if I’m going to explain anything to him it’s got to be clear.

Also, he’s busy… I know that whatever I send him has got to get to the heart of the matter pretty quick because he’s got a 3:30 tee time.

If I can make something that resonates with my dad or my spouse or a friend of a friend, that’s a victory. Chances are the post is stronger this way than when I just try to let it tumble out.

Because these things you’re writing, these videos and podcasts and posts, these things change minds, they transform readers and listeners.

So get into the headspace of the person who’s life you a) WANT to change and b) CAN change when you write your posts.

Writing cheat sheet

I’ve made a little cheat sheet for you about this which you can download here. Here’s what’s inside:

Explanation of the 4 questions we ask to help us make content at Fizzle.
A longer article sharing 10 Fast Ways to Become a Better Writer (even when you’re burning the midnight oil and can’t afford an editor just yet)

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