If you’ve ever wondered how to find your writing voice, you’re not alone. Your voice isn’t just about tone or technique—it’s a reflection of how you experience the world, and how you’re brave enough to tell the truth about it.

For years, I thought finding your voice meant developing a certain style, or mastering rhythm, or imitating the writers I respected. Eventually, I realized that voice is less about form and more about freedom. It’s the moment you stop asking “What do they want me to sound like?” and start asking “What do I need to say?”

That’s when the real voice starts to emerge—layered, complex, raw, and real.

Why Writing Honestly Means Breaking the Rules

We live in a culture that rewards polish over honesty. It asks us to be more palatable, more professional, more like what already works. But if you want to learn how to find your writing voice, you have to resist that pressure.

Your voice is not a performance. It’s permission.

It shows up the moment you stop editing yourself for someone else’s comfort. Maybe it’s the sentence you almost didn’t write because it felt too close to the bone. Or the truth that makes your hand shake—but your heart relax.

How I Stopped Writing to Be Liked and Started Telling the Truth

When I wrote Max Johnny, I wasn’t trying to be profound. I was trying to survive. The only way the story worked was if I told the truth—even when it was messy. In fact, especially when it was messy.

That book—and others like Narican—taught me that voice isn’t a goal you arrive at. Rather, it’s a relationship you commit to. Day after day, page after page, truth after truth.

So if you’re wondering how to find your writing voice, consider that it might already be whispering. You just haven’t stopped long enough to listen.

Tips for How to Find and Trust Your Writing Voice

• Say the thing you’ve been avoiding. The sentence you hesitate to write? That’s usually the one that matters most.
• Write what scares you. Your fear is often a signpost pointing toward something honest.
• Stop copying your heroes. Learn from them—but don’t borrow their voice. Use your own.
• Speak first, then write. When you talk it out before putting it on the page, your thoughts often flow more freely. As a result, your voice becomes clearer—especially when you’re not trying so hard.
• Let it be messy. Voice is not about perfection. It’s about truth.

Your Voice Will Change—And That’s Exactly the Point

Voice is not static. It shifts as you grow, as you heal, as you stop pretending. That’s a good thing. Learning how to find your writing voice isn’t about locking into one style forever. It’s about learning to trust your inner compass, again and again.

Every time you tell the truth—on the page, in conversation, in silence—you come home to yourself.

And that’s what readers connect with.