Voice

This month has me considering a lot about voice.

I pushed myself to find my writer’s voice. While you can hear my voice in my words, sometimes I’m able to share a different perspective on paper than what I might convey verbally and vice versa.

My voice includes humor, reflections, considerations, assurances, and challenges.

However, I know that my voice also includes privilege, cowardice, ignorance, and bias.

There are so many reasons for this: context, audience, restrictions, relationships, effort, etc.

Only you have the power to control your voice. But you first have to consider what does it already include?

So this begs the question, what will you say with the voice you use?

My writing voice will stop after today. It’s not my strength. I’ll pull it out in key times when it fits the moment, but I will spend the next year exercising my verbal voice.

More importantly, I will spend the year taking time to listen to the voices of others and I encourage you to do the same.

Listen to those who are represented and those who are not. You might be surprised how your voice can grow when you take the time hear.