Finding Your Voice

Guest Post by Lisa Buffaloe 

My friends don’t talk, think, dress, act, or look alike. Not one is a clone of the other. And I love that!

I love their unique qualities…from the quirky friend who rattles off one-liners with the speed of a machine gun, to my friend who reads and studies her Bible so much the pages are falling out. Or the girlfriend who gives the best hugs, and the friend who has the gift of organization, and the one who has the gift of hospitality and cooking (neither of which, I might add, are my strong points). I wouldn’t want any of my friends to change. I cherish them for who they are.

Editors, agents, and publishers are looking for authors with unique qualities and a voice all their own. So how on earth do you find your voice?

Be you.

Don’t strive to write like someone else. God created you to be you. He loves you just the way you are. Don’t compare yourself to others. Yes, we should read other authors, study the craft of writing, and strive to write in excellence. But when you sit down to write, allow God to flow through you to use you. Let His words inspire you to write the things He lays on your heart.

You are unique, and therefore your voice is unique in speech and in writing. Your voice is a gift straight from God’s hands, speak and write for His glory, and your matchless qualities will touch lives that no one else can touch.

 Lisa Buffaloe is contributing author for The One Year Devotional of Joy and Laughter. Her articles have appeared in Angels on Earth magazine, as well as Guideposts, Rest Ministries, (in)courage.me, and others. She’s an active member of writing organizations and critique groups, leads Bible studies, and speaks to writer and women’s groups. Her manuscripts have placed as finalists in the 2011 Women of Faith and the 2010 ACFW Genesis writing contests, and won awards with other distinguished writing contests.