Finding My Voice
Published Wednesday, January 18th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
One reason that I have a blog (in addition to the desire to share technical information) is that I want to practice writing. One of the most difficult things about writing is finding voice. Before I start writing my posts I first plan the post in my mind. I structure the paragraphs, sentences, and words and plan out the tone, rhythm, and flow of each sentence in my head. Unfortunately when I start to put the words on paper, or should I say on screen, that voice is mysteriously lost. The tone and rhythm are dulled. It is almost like being tone deaf. I hear the song correctly in my head but when it comes out it is off tone.
So how can I find my voice? The answer is simple, in theory, but difficult to implement: practice, practice, practice. I have tried to keep a private journal but that has always failed. When I try to write privately the quality is extremely poor. What I write tends to be stream of consciousness type of writing with disconnected and incoherent thoughts. It ends up like a personal note with no voice at all. So I blog. I blog because it keeps me honest. If I think that people are reading what I write then I strive for more. I’m actually talking to a person rather then taking notes for myself. Now the problem with this is that now that my blog has some readership (70 poor souls stumble in here each day) I have developed a sort of performance anxiety. I want to post something, anything, everyday if I could but I also want to make sure that I write something worth reading. I decided long ago that I do not want to write about my personal life. So instated I blog about technical issues. But their are just not enough technical issues to keep me going. So I end up doing what I’m doing today. Blogging about blogging.
Further reading on finding voice: