Hello and welcome back to Indie Author Weekly! This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and the behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. I’m your host, Sagan Morrow (or @Saganlives on Twitter & Instagram), and I’m a productivity strategist and an author of polyamorous romcoms.
Now, do you ever wish you had a different type of writing voice or style? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!
But first, don’t miss an episode: You can now get all Indie Author Weekly podcast episodes plus book and writing updates delivered directly to your inbox each week at SaganMorrow.com/behindthescenes—link is in the show notes.
Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share about the value, the beauty, the freedom, of leaning into your uniquely wonderful writing voice and style.
I was chatting with a friend last month, and she said something along the lines of, “You know Sagan, you are not going to be a Pulitzer Prize winner. But your books keep readers coming back for more, and that’s amazing.”
And you know what? She’s 100% correct. I completely agree with her assessment.
My writing style and voice do not qualify as “high brow literature.” And that’s okay! My writing style and voice have mass appeal. My books are accessible—they’re easy to read, they’re fun and engaging, and my stories are, honestly, pretty binge-worthy. I have quite a small readership—but those readers keep coming back, they keep asking for more, they keep wanting me to write more books and faster. I love that.
There was a time in my life as a teenager when I would have felt disappointed at the idea that my particular writing style and voice doesn't fit under the category of “serious literature.” I liked the idea of it, of being that type of author… but that’s just not me.
The thing is, we do ourselves a great disservice by trying to be something we’re not. There are readers out there who are desperate for exactly what YOU have to offer them!
There is no one way of writing that is “better” or “worse” than another. If you are quote-un-quote high brow or low brow, that’s great! Neither one is any better or worse than the other. They’re just different, and each absolutely has their place. Each of them are wonderful in their own ways.
If you wish that your writing style or voice was a little more similar to this author or that author, I encourage you to take a step back. Turn inward. Spend more time diving deep and getting intimate with YOUR unique voice and style. What comes naturally to you? What feels fun and “right”? What feels good? What flows with ease?
I built my entire freelance writing business on the premise that I would take my client’s jargon and make it easier to understand, more interesting, more accessible, to the layman. I was hired as a freelance writer to do exactly that. There is a time and place for my style and voice.
And, in fact, that’s also been really valuable as I’ve built out other aspects of my business, too: as a Productivity Strategist, I work with my clients to break down difficult or complex concepts, and make productivity and time management so much easier for them, even if they think that productivity isn’t “for them.” It’s pretty cool! It’s how I’ve managed to get awesome results for individuals and teams across all industries and with all different lifestyles and background experience. I love it.
Sidebar, you can get all the details on that at SaganMorrow.com/services — link is in the show notes.
There’s definitely a simplicity to the way I approach business in general… and to the way that I write books.
The more that we step into our unique voice and style, in all aspects, the better. In business, it means we show up more fully for our clients and customers and team members, and that we enjoy the work we do that much more. And as authors, it means that we give our readers exactly what they want and need. It also means that we can more easily get into the flow of writing, when we are leaning into our unique style.
Since I began writing and publishing my Polyamorous Passions romcom series, I’ve consistently had readers come to me and say, “When’s your next book coming out?” or “I want more backstory on this character!” or “Every time you publish a new book, I always reread the previous books in the series,” or “I read this book in one sitting and couldn’t put it down,” or “I’ve never read a book like this before.”
That’s how I know that I’m truly leaning into my unique writing voice and style. It’s fun for me to write, and my readers enjoy it too.
You don’t need to try to be something you’re not. You don’t need to try to mimic an author that you admire. You don’t need to force yourself into a particular box to be a good writer.
Rather than wishing you had a different writing style or voice, I encourage you to embrace your unique style and voice. Lean into it. You’ll be so much better a writer by identifying and leaning into your unique style and voice, than if you try to be something you aren’t.
You are wonderfully unique, just the way you are. Lean into that. Your voice and style are so very much wanted and needed in the world. Every voice and style is valid. There is so much value and beauty and freedom in leaning into your unique style and voice.
All right. That, my friend, is a wrap for today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly. I’d love to hear what you discover about your own writing style and voice when you lean more deeply into it—please share about it on Twitter or Instagram and tag me, @Saganlives, so that I can cheer you on!
As always, you can access the show notes for this episode, including all links and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/podcast.
Thank you so much for tuning in. Please take 2 minutes to rate and review Indie Author Weekly on Apple Podcasts—I really appreciate your support.
Until next week, this is Sagan Morrow, signing off the Indie Author Weekly podcast.