074: Identity, Authenticity, and How to Be True To Your Voice
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Hey there Word Nerds!
It\\u2019s the week before Christmas, and I wanted to do something a little bit different from\\xa0the interviews we\\u2019ve had\\xa0these many\\xa0weeks. This week\\u2019s topic is something I\\u2019ve been wanting\\xa0to talk about for a while and then I received a question via email from one of our listeners\\xa0and\\xa0I decided it was time to dive in.
Shout-out to Kayla for sharing a great question. I\'ll paraphrase it here, but it essentially\\xa0came in three parts:
- How do I know if my writing is good?
- Is there a certain amount of \\u201cliterary-ness\\u201d I need to include in my writing for it to be good?
- What are the people who judge my writing (editors, agents, critics, etc.) looking for?
In the past I have wondered the same thing. What did the readers want me to say? What am I supposed to write? And what if people don\'t like what I have to say?
Having a strong, authentic voice boils down to who you are. Remember, too, that you are not alone in wondering about this. At some point every writer asks themselves:
- Is my work any good?
- What do people want from me?
This question isn\\u2019t about getting published. It\\u2019s about being true to yourself.
Who are you as a writer?
Is your author identity being authentic to who you are? You may hear a lot of advice from writing gurus telling you to \\u201ccraft your authentic voice\\u201d as a way to promote your work, to better connect with people who will want to buy your book.
Authenticity is not a marketing strategy.\\xa0It\'s about being\\xa0who you are.
Authenticity at it\\u2019s heart is being vulnerable, being honest with your readers. And it\\u2019s scary! Every time I share anything remotely vulnerable with you all on the podcast or in my newsletter, I\\u2019m afraid that you will like me less for doing so. But it\\u2019s never a marketing strategy for me. Vulnerability, authenticity, it\\u2019s who I really am. And it should be who you really are, too. It\\u2019s not a schtick.
Should I put on a persona as my author voice?
So should you put on a persona as you develop your author voice? Well, I have answers for both sides of this question. Mainly, don\\u2019t try to fake your voice. You\\u2019ll end up sounding phony, and that will come across to your readers.
- Who are you?\\xa0What does your natural voice sound like? That is the voice that will sparkle. Share that voice.
- What happens if you "put on" a voice and it\'s actually successful?\\xa0Are you prepared to stick with this voice\\xa0forever? What if your agent or editor loves that persona that you\\u2019ve created? What if your readers love it? Are you going to leave them in the lurch?
- If you decide to drop this not-you voice, are you prepared to face the consequences?\\xa0Suppose you "put on" a voice for a while, then you decide to flip the switch. Your readers might feel like you\'ve pulled bait-and-switch on them and many might ditch you then and there. More importantly you will have to work hard to earn back the trust of those readers who decide to stick with you through the switch.
When you try to be someone you\\u2019re not, when you\\u2019re not being true to your voice and your own goals, it will come back later to haunt you. You\\u2019ll have to \\u2018fess up eventually.
So how do you \\u201ccraft\\u201d your author brand then?
Judy Garland
The best version of yourself, that\\u2019s what I call your author identity, your author brand. The person you put on the page is still you, but a more focused, more coherent, less wacky and hairbrained version of you. Your author identity is like a laser beam. A laser is focused light, and your author brand is focused, crafted, still you but the strongest version of you.
Crafting the narrative of your author identity
Can an \\u201cauthor identity\\u201d be truly authentic? The way you present yourself online will, of course, alway have some manner of crafting and shaping. The goal is to be as naturally you as possible.
\\u201cTo be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.\\u201d Oscar Wilde
As a writer, if you try to write in a voice that isn\\u2019t really your own, you\\u2019re going to become exhausted. But in beith authentic, you can\\u2019t just let your voice and your focus be scattershot. You have to find your voice and your focus, the best version of yourself. That\\u2019s the person that you put on the page.
I\\u2019ll be who I am. You be who you are. And we\\u2019ll be authentic together.
Have a wonderful holiday season. We\\u2019ll see you soon!
For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/074