What I love most here is the honesty. We don’t want our voice right away because it’s unpolished and uncertain. But the sooner we face that version of ourselves, the sooner we start sounding real. I learned this when I started doing my daily journaling. Writing a lot isn’t just practice, it’s exposure therapy for authenticity. I’ve been working on finding my voice not only in my writing but my painting too. Thank you for helping writers and all creatives find their voice Idris Elijah and Happy Friday to you!
This explains why no AI or formula could ever replace a true voice. It’s not about vocabulary, it’s about patterned humanity. Our quirks, memories and blind spots are the fingerprints. The voice isn’t something you find in your head, it’s something life trains out of your silence. The way I process emotion, the pacing of my thoughts is my voice. It just took a while to trust it. Thank you for this very insightful and valuable read Idris Elijah!
Truth. Voice comes from a lot of writing and from life experience. Authority. Confidence. Wisdom.
"Trying to write like your favorite author is the literary equivalent of trying to speak with someone else’s accent. You can force it for a sentence or two--but the second real emotion hits, your natural self leaks through."
Now THIS.... *taps the air* this put words to thoughts I didn't know how to articulate. You described a piece of my own journey I didn't understand. My writing begins in unfinished drafts that start out like the people I admire. And it takes time, a glass a wine and a couple of edibles to transform it into my own. But you're right... we mimic what we aspire. When you say it that way, it doesn't come across as "being a jocker" (idk if that's a word anymore). Anyway... great read. Thank you.
You are speaking the truth for all the songwriters out there like myself. Every great artist starts out covering other people’s songs until their phrasing, tone and instincts sharpen into something new. You don’t wake up with a voice. You build it through imitation, variation and obsession. The bridge between influence and originality is your voice. My love of music and passion for songwriting started exactly that way and little by little I’m developing my own voice. Thank you for another engaging read Idris Elijah!
You are most welcome Brooke! Love your takeaways here and our shared experience when it comes to music. Little by little we are developing our voices. 🤩🙌🏾
I think about this a lot with the artists I love. Madonna, Whitney, Stevie, Mariah…none of them started out sounding entirely like themselves. They studied what came before them, absorbed it and then reshaped it until it felt like truth. That’s why their voices last. They weren’t copying, they were becoming. I think real artistry lives right in that space between imitation and revelation. This is precisely how I’m working towards building my X page. The more I create, the less I’m trying to sound like anyone. I’m just trying to sound true. Thank you for sharing this truth with us today Idris!
Love your takeaways here. Sounds like you have the tools now to tackle whatever comes your way regarding your X page. Be yourself, write what you know, and the rest will come.
Your essay makes me think about my voice and how to ‘get there.’ To question the way I write things. Writing in the voice and style of other people feels daunting. Even scary. I suppose I’m precisely the fellow you’re talking about. I write as I think, what I think and how I speak. To me it’s fun. To me it’s unique and new. Honest truth, I doubt that I can do otherwise. Or I don’t have that talent or imagination. Writing to your standard feels outside the realm of possibility for me.
Wait a minute. I did try to emulate William Faulkner for a good 2 hours. What I leaned was, “Holy shit. I’ll never make it.”
Frankly I believe myself to be less human. But that’s just me. How am I above the standard. I see many people are in touch with your ideas. In fact serve people have commented favorably about my comment.
What I love most here is the honesty. We don’t want our voice right away because it’s unpolished and uncertain. But the sooner we face that version of ourselves, the sooner we start sounding real. I learned this when I started doing my daily journaling. Writing a lot isn’t just practice, it’s exposure therapy for authenticity. I’ve been working on finding my voice not only in my writing but my painting too. Thank you for helping writers and all creatives find their voice Idris Elijah and Happy Friday to you!
You’re absolutely right! We don’t want our voices right away. Love your takeaways here. You are most welcome Jody, thanks you 🤩🙌🏾
This explains why no AI or formula could ever replace a true voice. It’s not about vocabulary, it’s about patterned humanity. Our quirks, memories and blind spots are the fingerprints. The voice isn’t something you find in your head, it’s something life trains out of your silence. The way I process emotion, the pacing of my thoughts is my voice. It just took a while to trust it. Thank you for this very insightful and valuable read Idris Elijah!
Exactly! You hit it right on the head here Chloe. Couldn’t have said it better myself. And you are most welcome 🤗
Truth. Voice comes from a lot of writing and from life experience. Authority. Confidence. Wisdom.
"Trying to write like your favorite author is the literary equivalent of trying to speak with someone else’s accent. You can force it for a sentence or two--but the second real emotion hits, your natural self leaks through."
Nails it.
Thanks Miguel! And welcome! 🤩🙌🏾
Now THIS.... *taps the air* this put words to thoughts I didn't know how to articulate. You described a piece of my own journey I didn't understand. My writing begins in unfinished drafts that start out like the people I admire. And it takes time, a glass a wine and a couple of edibles to transform it into my own. But you're right... we mimic what we aspire. When you say it that way, it doesn't come across as "being a jocker" (idk if that's a word anymore). Anyway... great read. Thank you.
You’re most welcome, glad to be of help! 🤩🙌🏾
Great points..
Thanks 🙂
You are speaking the truth for all the songwriters out there like myself. Every great artist starts out covering other people’s songs until their phrasing, tone and instincts sharpen into something new. You don’t wake up with a voice. You build it through imitation, variation and obsession. The bridge between influence and originality is your voice. My love of music and passion for songwriting started exactly that way and little by little I’m developing my own voice. Thank you for another engaging read Idris Elijah!
You are most welcome Brooke! Love your takeaways here and our shared experience when it comes to music. Little by little we are developing our voices. 🤩🙌🏾
I think about this a lot with the artists I love. Madonna, Whitney, Stevie, Mariah…none of them started out sounding entirely like themselves. They studied what came before them, absorbed it and then reshaped it until it felt like truth. That’s why their voices last. They weren’t copying, they were becoming. I think real artistry lives right in that space between imitation and revelation. This is precisely how I’m working towards building my X page. The more I create, the less I’m trying to sound like anyone. I’m just trying to sound true. Thank you for sharing this truth with us today Idris!
Love your takeaways here. Sounds like you have the tools now to tackle whatever comes your way regarding your X page. Be yourself, write what you know, and the rest will come.
Your essay makes me think about my voice and how to ‘get there.’ To question the way I write things. Writing in the voice and style of other people feels daunting. Even scary. I suppose I’m precisely the fellow you’re talking about. I write as I think, what I think and how I speak. To me it’s fun. To me it’s unique and new. Honest truth, I doubt that I can do otherwise. Or I don’t have that talent or imagination. Writing to your standard feels outside the realm of possibility for me.
Wait a minute. I did try to emulate William Faulkner for a good 2 hours. What I leaned was, “Holy shit. I’ll never make it.”
You’re just as human as the rest of us. Believe it or not, you’re already above whatever standard you think I’ve set. You already are doing the work 😉
Frankly I believe myself to be less human. But that’s just me. How am I above the standard. I see many people are in touch with your ideas. In fact serve people have commented favorably about my comment.
I could be wrong 🤷🏾♂️