So, this post is to help you find your writing style or voice. When we first get started writing, we are usually given a lot of resources for how to plot with things like three-act structure, how to create conflict, or world-building. But as we’re learning all of these writing techniques, we’re also trying to figure out our personal style of writing.

So tip #1 is: Take your time with trying to find your style.

You probably want to just write your first book in a month, revise it for another month, then get your agent right away and sell overnight for 6-figures. This is definitely a dream journey, but for the majority of writers, it takes a lot of time to even figure out how to write before we can get to the business of publishing. And taking your time is not something to scoff at. If you don’t immediately find your writing voice, do not be discouraged. It took me three manuscripts to even begin to figure out what my writing style was.

So here are a few more lessons from my own journey of finding my writing voice:

• Write your first book for yourself. Include every trope, every cliche, every high impact component you love reading in other books. Have fun, make a mess, DO NOT worry about marketability or if you can sell it.
• Write fan fiction. Imitation is the highest form of flattery and it is also the easiest way to practice using a foundation you already love. Practice is always easier if it’s fun. This way you can figure out your own style.
• Get over yourself. I did that thing where I would humble-brag about how great my writing was going when really I wanted validation that I wasn’t wasting my time. But here’s the thing, only another writer can really understand that all the time you spend writing at all is of value. And they’re also the ones that can immediately see through your BS-ing. So, work on letting go of your insecurities and also get over yourself.
• Be willing to make huge sweeping and drastic changes to your book. This is often called “kill your darlings” and you won’t quite get the true meaning of the quote until you just do it. I actually do witness protection for my darlings and put them into another document where I can change their names and reuse them in another MS if it’s appropriate.

Now here’s a video I made about this exact same subject:

Do you have any tips for finding your writing style? Put them in the comments below!