Wednesday, November 5
Do you feel you have found your voice on your blog? What techniques have you tried to develop your voice in your writing? What are some characteristics of your personality in your writing?
Yep.. that’s me at 17, taken by a fellow student for the yearbook… just diggin’ the totally Canadian checkered flannel shirt, eh? At that time you were a “Disco” or a “Freak”. Obviously, I chose “Freak”! I didn’t do make-up, and hair (barely do today!) and it was a private school without a uniform but a dress code. Whatever we could wear that bordered on the sloppy, we did!
OK. so enough reminiscing….
Today’s question is another good one. Have I found my voice? Geez. I like to think I have. If writing without pretense, sharing who I am and being authentically myself when I write is finding my voice then I have to say I have! I cannot write anything if it feels phony. I know. I’ve tried.
I read a lot – A LOT – of blogs! I admire those who can write poetry or simply write in a very lyrical way with glorious descriptions and beautiful phrases. I’ve tried to write in such a way and it just doesn’t come to me. I have had some fun with poetry (not that it would win any prizes!) but cannot say that I have it in me. There are food blogs that I love that I wanted to emulate but frankly, it’s not MY voice so I continue doing it my way, fine-tuning as I go, modifying until it feels right. But the food blog is different than this one. That one is supposed to eventually generate business (if I ever actually work on it!!) This one is to share what is on my mind and to work on my writing as that is another of my loves.
I am composing all the time in my head and sometimes it is feels quite flowery and descriptive. As soon as my fingers hit the keyboard. Nothing. Those flowery phrases are gone. Just not me. I’m too much of a say-it-like-it-is kind of person. When someone wants something from me but they beat around the bush and try to butter me up or get “all flowery” on me I lose patience. Just tell me what you want! I guess that reflects in my style of writing too.
That doesn’t mean that I am afraid to show my emotions or share things that touch me in some way. Most times I’m funny because, well, I AM funny! I write as I speak, basically. Even in my “sad” posts, there will be humour. I can’t help it. It’s just there and comes out despite me.
If I doubt myself, all I have to do is go back to various posts and read the comments. It is the boost I need to continue doing what I do with my own voice.
You sound very much like me. I related to a great deal in this post.
Then you must be a wonderful person! 😉 Glad to hear it resonated with you.
I think your voice comes through loud and clear – and I LIKE it! Here’s what I get – down-to-earth but with lots of interesting life and world experience, honest and open, irreverent, with a slightly skewed and witty view of life. But, you always tie it all together with inspiration and lots of warm-heartedness. That is why I always enjoy reading your posts. I don’t know you in “real” life, but I feel like I do. (and I would like to) To me that means you’ve nailed it as a blogger.
Wow Nancy! You have just made my day! Gonna have to put this comment in my “keepers” file for when I foolishly doubt myself.. Thank you so much!
Keep on being YOU, Dale, because it’s what we love about you! There is no one else to be but ourselves, and the world is better off when we let our “freak flag fly” – not sure where that saying originated, but a friend of mine used to say it at the good old University of Rhode Island. I still use it today. I am nerdy and freaky and just fine with it!
Tammy! How great to “see” you! Thanks so much.. I love nerdy and freaky… 😉
It IS a lot of my motivation, the comments and likes from others. It makes me feel as if what I’m doing might be helpful to someone. It gives me a little motivation to do another and another!
Oddly enough, I think I found my “voice” early on, from the first post, but took advice from my sister and others on recipes they wanted me to do – not the ones I would have chosen to put on – it skewed my blog to a direction I wish I would have not gone to.
One day my sis gave me a big talking to and said, very vehemently – “I hate recipe blogs that go into a story or have a lot of writing and I just click off them,” so I altered what I was doing, and I found I hated writing posts. My posts dwindled, I stopped writing them. I lost about a year! Oddly enough, I later realized my sister doesn’t read my blog, to my knowledge has only pinned a few recipes I asked her in particular to pin, doesn’t follow, has never liked or commented on even one post.
I realized changing my blog wasn’t me – I’m not a cookbook! And my fondest memories was the talking that went on between my Mom and me, the stories she’d share, the way she showed me how to “save” and “fix” and alter things, and why she did what she did when we cooked.
I went back to what I did before, which was pretend I was teaching my daughter the recipe, tell the story of it – tell all the tricks and things you need to know to have it turn out how it should, even if you don’t know how to cook or have never made it before. Especially if it’s something not commonly made. So long posts! Too long, perhaps to be “successful” but my style.
I like knowing that someone can come to my blog and make a Cornish Pasty or yogurt or salsa and they won’t have to research 20 other recipes and put all the hints together to get it to learn how to make it so it will turn out right.
I realized then that taking advice from amateur editors isn’t something I’m willing to do. I do feel limited by my computer skills and blog style as I like keeping my pricing info in, but wish it were an optional “pop up!”
Gosh – did I carry on!!
Absolutely, it is motivating. What’s the point of putting it out there if no one reads it? For some that is OK but that’s what my personal journal is for!!!
Nothing worse than the peanut gallery coming in and giving their two cents’ worth, solicited or not! (Worse when it comes from someone who doesn’t even read your stuff!!!) Too bad you listened to your sister instead of your heart! Then again, I believe your “forced changed” allowed you to truly see what you wanted to do and you made your way back. Now if someone comes in and tries to convince you to change you will have the bollocks to tell them to take a long walk off a short pier! They are not obliged to read it if they don’t like it. We can’t please everyone. I like the back story and just think…you are leaving a legacy to your daughter. She will be able to look back and know a side to her mother she probably would not have otherwise!
I think you have a very authentic voice Dale – Nancy said it best above, but your voice says you’re the type of person you want to make friends with.
Thanks Andrea. I am a good friend too! 😀 (Cocky broad, ain’t she?)
You are so right about the change being positive in the end. I even rewrote some posts to try to make them better! LOL!
But it all caused me to focus on what I wanted to do! So really, not a wasted year at all – was it? Thanks, Dale!
Now the question, does my daughter read my blog? 🙂
Absolutely! There is no such thing as wasted time if there is something to be learnt!
LOL.. I hear you… I have one sister subscribed to my blog and the other one as well as a friend or two will read it if they see the link on FB.
As for your daughter…even if she doesn’t today, she has the option later…
Like. Like. Like.
Everything.
Mostly?
You…
Are the sunshine in many lives.
Mostly?
Mine.
RR
Raye… Hugs and kisses. One day for realz.
Your posts read like we are chatting over a cup of tea. So, yes keep doing what you have been doing and go with your own flow. You are doing great!
Well that is EXACTLY how I want them to read! Yeah! Thank you, Annet!
So I guess I am expecting to see a real tea set on the virtual table soon…yes the tea set you talked about yesterday…
Absolutely!
Hi Dale, I certainly haven’t come across another voice like yours in blogland so I think that says a lot about YOU being YOU. Love your humour and openness.
That phoney issue is one that I’ve grappled with too and somehow it only works if I deliberately set out to write to haul myself out of bad form. So rather that, ‘Why I feel Lousy,’ I may try ‘ The Most Uplifting Place in the World.’ Is that being phoney in a roundabout way???
Thanks Jean! “I yam what I yam”! 😉
No… I don’t think that is phoney, that’s you trying to get yourself out of a funk… The real you will still come through. I used to really like some food blogs but as time goes by, I’ve realised they ALL have the same voice because they are all trying to be all “cutesy” and frankly, I’m losing interest. It’s as if they all went to the same school, under the same teacher and are following a set code. Blech.
Interesting point about the food blogs, Dale. I think we’re lucky with personal blogs as businessy ones tend to feel they have to follow a certain formula. I’m not sure sure I agree with that philosophy, though!
Hear! Hear! (I haven’t been able to make http://www.Dalectables.com be like those food blogs though it is one… I haven’t found my voice on that one! 😉
Maybe aim to be wildly different. I was reading somewhere the other day that that can be a very successful strategy.
Agreed! It’s trying to find that something-something! 😉
Right on, Dale. An important person in my life once said, “Don’t try to be who you aren’t.” … and I apply that to blogs as well. I admire those who can create poems & fiction … those who can write creatively or even put together those rants that attract certain readers … but those aren’t me.
Isn’t it too much work anyway to be someone we are not? Yeah… me too! We get to enjoy reading those ones and then doing what we do best! Oh! And I think I forgot to wish you a Happy Anniversary on your “37” post!!
Absolutely … enjoy the ones who do that well while not looking bad! … and thank you!
Hi Dale — I like this and can see that your voice is unique to you and does shine through. I know what you mean when you say you have all these flowery words in your head but when you go to type them out – nothing.
I like that you write from your heart and it’s important to be real. That’s important to me, too, not only as a blogger but a reader as well. You can tell when the words coming through are genuine. Have a great weekend. 🙂
Thanks, Pat. That is very kind of you. I shall strive to continue sharing my voice!
And a great week-end to you too!