We each have a message and a perspective no other person has. And, although we will encounter situations when our writing must fit into certain parameters, such as formatting, word count, or theme, we can still express who God has uniquely designed us to be.

For example, think about the kind of clothes you choose to wear that best reflect your personal style. If the parameter we’re going to stay within regarding our clothing choices is modesty, we still have countless ways to stay true to that boundary. So, with writing, consider the parameters given, and continue to be you. Let’s always keep in mind who we are as writers.

Find your voice that is uniquely you. Finding your voice is done, in great part, simply through writing. I began intently journaling when I was nineteen years old. Stacking my journals up now, they stand two-feet tall and span more than two decades. Journaling prepared me in unbelievable ways to write and become familiar with my own voice.

Years later, I stepped into the world of blogging despite having virtually no idea what I was doing. But I found that simply putting something out there, just beginning, enabled me to learn and conquer far more than I ever imagined I could in terms of my blogging comfort level.

Day-to-day, I often type short notes on my phone that I can return to and flesh out later. Being aware of my world and what affects me increases my perspective and opens fresh doors of writing possibilities. The more we write, the more easily we discover our writing voice.

Another way to discover our own voice is to read the voices of others. Read books, articles, blogs, and more. Read content that you not only agree with, but also that which you don’t. Exposing yourself to various points of view will only help you better solidify your ideas, personal stances, and perspectives, especially in the face of opposition. Reading the work of others also helps increase our vocabulary and arsenal of writing tools. We are able to explore other forms of formatting and structure which we may find useful in our own work.

One day, when I had just returned to writing what would eventually become my first book, Refining Identity, God showed me how the format within a Bible study I’d recently gone through would work perfectly for my book. Prior to that point, my content had merely been scattered thoughts without any form of cohesion. Once I established a format, a way to organize the content, my writing took off! Over the next two years, even while having two small children at home, I made steady progress and ultimately completed writing Refining Identity. So, write. Anything and everything you can. And read. Anything and everything you can. Through simply writing and reading, you will begin to discover your own unique voice.