Finding Your Voice: Exercises to Uncover Your Unique Writing Style

One of my favorite practices with my writing craft is defining my voice. You’ve heard of these terms before — tone, voice, syntax, diction — and I must confess, I miss these courses in school. I miss the structured sessions that set out to find this elusive aspect of the craft. And I’m of the opinion that your writing journey is a continuous discovery of finding your voice. So here are some exercises that I love.

Let’s start with the obvious question: What is my voice? Your voice is the essence of who you are as a writer— the distinct perspective and rhythm that only you can bring to your words. You can’t find this overnight or will it into existence. It takes deliberate practice and a hell of a lot of time. But it is one of the most rewarding aspects of the craft.

So let’s begin…

1. Write Like Your Favorite Writers… Then, Write Like Yourself

Start by imitating the styles of writers you admire. Choose a passage from a favorite author and write your own version of it, keeping their tone, rhythm, and structure. This exercise helps you understand how their voice works. Then, rewrite the passage in your own style, letting your natural instincts take over. Compare the two versions side-by-side to identify what makes your voice distinct. (I personally like to use Google Docs to mark my piece with highlights or comments.)

Tip: Experiment with multiple authors to explore a range of voices. The more you practice, the clearer your preferences and tendencies will become.

2. We Freewrite, and We Don’t Judge

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write without stopping. Don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, or coherence— just write! Freewriting helps bypass your inner critic, allowing your authentic voice to emerge. Review what you’ve written and highlight phrases or ideas that resonate. This exercise is crucial because it gets you past the anxiety of the ‘blank page’ or starting your writing project.

Tip: Try freewriting on different prompts, such as a memorable childhood trip, a favorite hobby, or an embarrassing moment. These topics often bring out more emotion, and you’ll discover the unique way your words connect with your readers.

3. Keep a Journal

Dedicate a journal to exploring your voice. Every day, take a few moments to jot down observations, snippets of dialogue, or reflections on the day’s activities. It won’t be long before you see patterns emerging in your tone, word choice, and particular themes that resonate with you. I have a few journals from high school, college, and my 20s, and I love to see how my voice matured but refined itself.

Tip: Include sketches, doodles, or photos in your journal. Visuals can inspire different ideas and help you better articulate your thoughts.

4. Play with Form and Genre

Writing in unfamiliar forms or genres can feel really strange, but I can’t recommend it enough. You will be challenged to adapt your voice to new constraints. If you usually write fiction, try poetry. If you’re a poet, experiment with long-form essays. These shifts in structure and expectation force you to stretch creatively, revealing aspects of your voice you may not have discovered otherwise. I know for certain I never considered poetry as something useful or meaningful to me before college. But after a few semester-long courses, I found that poetry exercises helped my long-form writing the most.

Tip: Revisit an existing piece of your writing and reimagine it in a different form. For example, turn a short story into a poem or a poem into a creative nonfiction essay.

5. Read Your Work Aloud

I know you’ve heard this before. And it may actually feel pretty weird, reading your work out loud. But hearing your words spoken is really the only way to edit a piece. You’ll catch errors and add more meaning to weaker sentences. You’ll catch repetition that you don’t want and place it where you actually do. So read a piece you’ve written aloud and listen for its rhythm, tone, and cadence. Do the sentences flow naturally? Does it sound like "you"? Adjust your writing to match the way you instinctively speak.

Tip: Record yourself and play it back. Sometimes, listening as an audience helps you pinpoint what’s working and what feels off.

6. Ask for Feedback

Share your writing for critiques and ask specifically about your voice. Do your readers find it engaging? Unique? Authentic? Pedantic? Dominating? Their perspectives can show you your strengths and also show you your areas for growth. Remember that discovering your weaknesses is an opportunity to strengthen your writing. Learning to truly command your voice comes from consistency and dedication.

Tip: Choose trusted friends who understand your goals as a writer and will offer constructive, honest feedback. Avoid seeking input from too many people at once to keep your vision clear, and avoid seeking advice from people who don’t share your goals.

7. Experiment with Constraints

Expanding on #4’s exercise, try imposing specific constraints on your writing, such as limiting your word count or avoiding a particular letter. Constraints force you to think creatively and find new ways to express your ideas, often leading to surprising discoveries about your voice. Often, I will take a piece I’m refining and highlight all the repetition. Which of these repeated words feels closer to my natural voice, and which pull from the meaning or intention behind the sentence?

Tip: Try writing a piece entirely in dialogue, without using adjectives, or only words that start with vowels. These exercises will highlight your natural inclinations and surprise you when you complete each challenge.

Final Thoughts

If you continue to commit to your craft and work at it, you will discover your voice. It’s by far one of the more rewarding and challenging aspects of writing. Embrace this continuous journey of discovery. Try these exercises, and let us know which ones revealed surprises, challenges, or new ways to engage with your craft.

Rebecca Baker is a writer and digital strategist from Arroyo Grande, CA. As the founder of Chicken Riddle Media, she helps small businesses and nonprofits shine online. With a background in marketing and publishing, she’s all about crafting engaging stories, web content, and promo materials. She also runs *Decked Tarot*, a Substack where she dives into tarot insights and guidance, blending creativity and intuition in every project she takes on.