{"id":826466,"date":"2025-09-23T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=826466"},"modified":"2025-09-25T12:24:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T11:24:19","slug":"how-i-found-my-voice-my-dos-and-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/how-i-found-my-voice-my-dos-and-donts\/","title":{"rendered":"How I found my voice: My do’s and don’ts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ooh, the pesky voice!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my debut novel NINE DOLLS<\/a><\/em> won the Joffe Books Crime Prize in 2024, the judges said a lot of lovely things \u2014 but one line stuck with me: \u201cIt feels wholly original, with entirely its own voice.\u201d<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was both flattered and slightly stunned. Not because I didn\u2019t want to believe it \u2014 but because it hadn\u2019t come easily. I had to work hard for it: consciously, for instance across a whole week on the life changing Self-Edit Your Novel<\/a> course run by the wonderful Debi Alper and Emma Darwin. But also subconsciously, as I questioned everything that my character ever did (or didn\u2019t<\/em> do), delving deeper into their mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you\u2019re feeling a bit lost trying to \u201cfind your voice\u201d, I promise you\u2019re not alone. It doesn\u2019t come in a flash of inspiration. It comes in layers. Below are a few things I learned along the way \u2014 my own list of Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts<\/strong>\u2014that helped me get closer to the kind of voice that felt, finally, like mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Leave your fingerprint<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Voice is like a fingerprint. It\u2019s uniquely yours \u2014 formed by your scars, secrets, inside jokes, heartbreaks, and the way you see the world when no one else is watching. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I finally stopped trying to sound \u201cliterary\u201d and started writing like I think <\/em>\u2014 a bit messy, sometimes sharp, always curious \u2014 something shifted. The writing got warmer. It got truer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, write from that place. Your voice is already in you \u2014 you just have to let it out without judgement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Gossip with your characters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably heard that old writing exercise \u2014 take your character on a dinner date. Find out what they wear, eat, the music they listen to and all those good things. And yes, that\u2019s important. But I\u2019d urge you to go one step further: make them your gossip partner (or, even better, the subject of the gossip).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where the real gold is. What do they say behind someone\u2019s back? What do they admit only when drunk? What do they pretend not to want? This is where character voice<\/strong> becomes textured and real \u2014 when you understand not just what your characters do, but why they do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Say one thing, think another<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one was a game-changer for me: don\u2019t let your characters say everything they think<\/strong>. Most of us have a filter \u2014 even the bluntest among us! We present one version of ourselves, while something else bubbles underneath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fiction, we\u2019re lucky: we get access to both the inside and outside of a character. Don\u2019t be afraid to use it. Let your character say, \u201cI\u2019m so happy for you,\u201d while thinking, I\u2019d rather be hit by a truck than see you win again.<\/em> <\/em>That tension between outer words and inner truth? That\u2019s the voice. That\u2019s what makes it human.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Want to read the rest of this article? Log in<\/a> or join our free community – you’ll get the rest of our top tips, plus a truck-load of other resources. Whoever said you don’t get anything in this life for free?<\/h4>\n\n\n\r\n