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Introduction to College-Level Writing
Introduction to College-Level Writing
Writing Textbooks Boundless Writing Introduction to College-Level Writing Introduction to College-Level Writing
Writing Textbooks Boundless Writing Introduction to College-Level Writing
Writing Textbooks Boundless Writing
Writing Textbooks
Writing
Concept Version 22
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Developing Your Voice as a Writer

Even while following the rules of content and style, you can develop your own unique voice.

Learning Objective

  • Differentiate between voice and style


Key Points

    • While academic writing stresses formal conventions, it also allows room to experiment with a range of styles and voices.
    • Some writers use a more popular style in their discourse by including contractions, humor, exclamations, and/or familiar vocabulary. Others use clause-heavy sentences and esoteric terminology. Still others favor analogies, imagery, and colorful metaphors.
    • "Authorial voice" is a result of a writer's particular style. This is an important element of academic writing as well as fiction and other forms of nonfiction. 
    • Voice can only be developed over time.

Terms

  • format

    The way in which research, images, titles, headers, and other formal elements of writing are presented. 

  • style

    An author's unique way of putting together words and phrases, making analogies, and arranging sentences.

  • voice

    The distinct personality that comes through in a writer's work.


Full Text

You've probably heard that one quality found in good writing is voice. "Voice" refers to elements of the author's tone, phrasing, and style that are recognizably unique to her or him. Having a distinctive, persuasive voice is crucial to engaging your audience — without it, your paper risks falling flat, no matter how much research you've compiled or how well you've followed other directions. Yes, academic writing has rules about format, style, and objectivity that you must follow, but this does not mean you can write boring, impersonal prose. You can — and should — develop an authorial voice no matter what subject you choose to write about. 

Saying each writer has a unique voice does not mean that each writer has a radically different style from anyone else. In academic writing, voice comes down to small habits and personal preferences. Think about it this way: if all the students in your class were told to explain a complex concept, none of them would do it in the same way. Each one would use different language and syntax to say the same basic thing, and as each student kept making those choices in language and syntax over a period of time, you would eventually associate those choices with particular writers — they would accumulate into an authorial voice.

Keep in mind that voice is not something you can automatically create. It may be tempting to use unusual syntax or fancy vocabulary in the hopes of making your writing stand out, but that would not be your genuine style. There are no quick ways to give yourself a recognizable voice. It is something that can only be developed over time. The best way to develop voice is to keep writing and to think about what kind of writing you like. Pay attention to how you say things — what words you use, what sorts of phrases and sentence structures you favor, even what kind of punctuation appears in your work frequently. These are the choices that will eventually become markers of your authorial voice.

Individual style at the Ohio Renaissance Festival

Much like the people shown above dressed in different costumes, every writer has a distinct style. You should maintain the distinctive elements of your voice and style in the academic context. Even when you're outside your comfortable, everyday environment, you can still find ways to express your unique style.

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