Voice is one of the trickiest and most nebulous elements of storytelling, but it's also an invaluable quality that makes your books uniquely yours. Here are some tips on how to develop and refine your writing voice!

Tip 1: Voice is demonstrated via tone, word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, use of description, exposition, narration, dialogue, pacing, themes, character archetypes, even subject matter.

Tip 2: Expect "your" voice to shine through in each book, even when your books' narrators have unique voices. It's similar to how you have a distinct voice in conversation, even if you speak differently with a boss, a sibling, or a friend.

Tip 3: Experiment and try writing the same scene with different voices! For example, attempt the following: a logical narrator, a goofy voice, a distracted storyteller, a scared one.

Tip 4: If there's a voice you admire as a reader, try mimicking the style to see if any part of it agrees with you as a writer.

Tip 5: While reading, pay attention to the voice of the book in your hands. Read two books by the same author and determine their similarities and differences.

Tip 6: Let go of how you "should" write for a moment and write however you'd like. What "rules" do you want to break? What if you made the choice to break them knowingly?

Tip 7: Find your strengths as a writer (what you enjoy reading and writing, what parts of your writing are frequently praised) and then push those strengths to emphasize your voice.

Tip 8: Take it slow: gaining experience and mastering the craft will reveal your voice over time.

Tip 9: Remember that you will have a harder time recognizing your voice than anyone else - outside perspective will really help!