You have probably heard that one of the most important skills to engage in for a writer is actually that of reading tone. Reading is one of the most fundamental skills that talented and standout writers invest in. It helps writers stay grounded, motivated and challenged when it comes to their craft.
Exposing yourself to authors acts as a way to help keep the passion for why you do what you do alive. Experiencing the other end of the equation by consistently putting yourself in the shoes of the reader will help to maintain perspective of your craft and also help to identify what kind of experience you want to give.
Chances are that if you have a favorite author the most appealing aspect of that author is what we describe as their tone. Now, a lot of other factors play a role in the relationship that you have with your favorite writers. The genre of their writing along with the platforms, level of interest and even the amount of writing that they publish. For instance, a Steven King fan loves the fact that his publications are typically in the horror genre and massive in size and might even feel jipped without that amount of content.
Without question however, the most prevalent factor in why you love the writers that you love comes down to their specific and unique tone. So how do you as an aspiring writer develop your own unique tone?
Just Do It!
Before you roll your eyes and keep scrolling, there’s a reason why The Word Counter makes this our first step to developing your unique tone in your writing. You most importantly just have to write!
A tone isn’t something that you will be inherently proficient in employing in your writing. It will take time, practice and a considerable amount of feedback to master this. If you don’t simply do the work of developing your tone then you won’t have one. So don’t get discouraged by the process but jump right into it.
Write Every Day
Hand in hand with out first point, by making a discipline of writing you will allow yourself the room to grow and experiment. Try writing in different tones or imitating the ones that you admire. This will prove to be a great exercise for you to try and think and write like your favorite writers, better understanding their process and how they do what they do.
Get an Second Opinion
A huge part of developing your tone will be affirmation. What makes you uniquely you when it comes to your writing may not be readily apparent or easy to identify if you are the only person in the process. Ask friends and colleagues to do content reads on your writing and to look for specific aspects of tone in your work.
Learn from constructive criticism about your tone and use feedback to help you develop the kind of tone that will help you reach your goals. For example, if you are trying to develop a warm and inviting tone but are too informal for the source content you are writing about, then having feedback will help you understand where you need to tighten up your edges and be more professional.
Critique when it comes to developing your tone is not an attack on your own personal creativity. Instead, it’s a powerful tool to help you not only develop unique qualities but impactful ones.
Keep Your Inspirations Close
Become a student of the writers that you love and admire. Reading is an important part of developing your tone and growing in your knowledge of how to use it appropriately. Keep the writers that inspire you close at hand and dive into their work with curiosity as you dissect their talent and learn from them.
Don’t Forget That Your Voice Matters
A daily discipline like writing in a journal or a diary can be a great tool to help remind you of your progress and express and explore your tone on an intimate level. The most important aspect to developing and using your own unique tone in writing is remembering that you matter. In a world of billions of people and millions of writers it can feel overwhelming when it comes to being unique. Never forget that there is only one of you!
You are a unique individual and what you bring to the table is important and worth the time and discipline it takes to hone. Keep dreaming, keep reading and most importantly keep writing!
