Question RE: Writer's Voice

[dmbowman]

This might have an obvious answer but what is the difference between a writer's voice - meaning their style of writing - and just simply unoriginal writing?

I'm starting to feel like my writing sounds a lot alike from one week to the next. I can't decide if I should enjoy my comfort zone or choose a new genre just to challenge myself.

[itsjoanne]

It is NEVER a bad idea to challenge yourself. Who knows - you might find out your writing love/niche is yet to be discovered. Happened to me - twice! True story.

[glorybee]

This might have an obvious answer but what is the difference between a writer's voice - meaning their style of writing - and just simply unoriginal writing?

I'm starting to feel like my writing sounds a lot alike from one week to the next. I can't decide if I should enjoy my comfort zone or choose a new genre just to challenge myself.

It's difficult to define writer's voice, but I'll give it a shot: It's a combination of things that make a writer recognizable to her readers, even if they're reading something without her name on it. Those "things" in combination could be sentence structure, use of particular tense or POV, vocabulary, use of figurative language, syntax, creative use of punctuation or grammar, common settings and types of characters, dialect...and myriad other tricks and tools from the writer's toolbox.

If your writing feels the same week after week, if may be because you have developed a unique, recognizable voice--or it may be because you need to work on developing one, and your work is too neutral.

If it's the second of those possibilities, then you've already come up with a possible solution--get out of your comfort zone! Also, study writers who you've noticed have a distinct voice, and determine what defines their voice. Do some experimenting with different voices for yourself--the Writing Challenge is a safe place to do that!