One of the biggest challenges for students in creative writing, including those using UK essay writing services, is developing their own distinct voice and style. It’s all too easy to fall into patterns of imitating authors you admire or writing how you think you’re “supposed” to write. But great writing comes from tapping into your unique perspective and letting your authentic voice shine through. As a writing teacher, here are some strategies I use to help students peel back the layers and uncover their true voice.
Freewriting to Access Your Inner Voice
The constant self-editing and rewording we do when writing, even when using best essay services, can silence our raw, genuine thoughts. Freewriting is the antidote. I have students set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write without stopping, going wherever their mind takes them. No crossing anything out, no judgement – just a continuous flow of words from their innermost self. It’s a simple yet powerful exercise to access their most natural mode of expression.
- The keys are: Set a short time limit, keep pen moving, don’t self-censor
- I collect these freewriting samples so students feel free to let loose
Draw From Personal Experience
Too often students feel pressured to write with a certain “literary” voice divorced from their everyday speech and life experiences. But the most compelling writing comes from an honest exploration of one’s own perspectives, memories, and emotional truths. I encourage students to start their stories, poems, and characters from vivid personal anecdotes and details.
- For example, recalling moments of intense joy, fear, confusion from their lives
- Or describing quirks and personalities of their family members
Question: What Unique Stamp Do You Leave?
To find their writing voice, students must first clearly define what makes them unique individuals. I prompt them to reflect: What unusual hobbies, skills, or knowledge do you have? What cultural background shapes your worldview? What ideals or values drive your decision making? Their answers offer a window into the singular traits and threads they can weave throughout their narratives.
Find Your Humor, Attitude, and Syntax
Writing voice isn’t just about the stories you tell, but how you tell them. Pay attention to:
- Your sense of humor – dry, absurd, self-deprecating?
- Your tone and attitude – cynical, hopeful, sarcastic?
- Syntax patterns – short punchy sentences or flowing imagery?
I have students underline examples in their favorite authors’ works highlighting these stylistic tics. Then they experiment with mimicking and exaggerating those patterns in freewrites to stretch their skills.
Emulate Some, But Not Everything
There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from authors you admire. In fact, it’s helpful for students to use respected works as models. But I caution against trying to impersonate every aspect of those writers’ styles. Let their techniques inform your craft, but stay true to your own unique voice and experiences. You’ll develop a more authentic, distinctive writing identity that way.
Writing with Wildness and Abandon
My students often err on the side of playing it safe – relying on clichés, staying surface level, self-censoring. To combat this, I sometimes have them deliberately write with unrestrained wildness:
- Cutting loose with taboo subjects and boundary-pushing content
- Using surprising metaphors and exaggerated imagery
- Breaking rules of grammar and logic
Getting a little “crazy” on the page gives students permission to take risks and dig deeper into their subconscious truth. From those raw materials, we shape and refine to uncover the beating heart of their voice.
Listen to How You Truly
Speak It’s a common pitfall for students to write in an overly formal, stiff style that doesn’t sync with their real speaking cadences. Record yourself having a casual conversation, then transcribe it, studying the verbal tics, rhythms, dialects, and speech patterns.
- How do you actually structure sentences when speaking naturally?
- What idioms and slang expressions do you use?
- Notice the unique musicality and flow of your speech
That’s a more honest foundation to build your narrative voice from rather than striving for an unrealistic sense of properness. Let your writing breathe and bend like your ordinary speech.
The writing process involves putting on masks – personas we craft for different contexts. But our most powerful work comes from peeling back those masks, getting radically honest, and giving voice to our most intimate selves. With patience and the right exercises, every student can tone those raw, unfettered truths into a resonant, utterly distinctive writing voice.