Since I wrote about that Miles Davis quote last week (It takes a long time to sound like yourself), I’ve been thinking about how precious voice is. It’s one of the first things I notice about a piece. And if it’s especially palpable, it will linger in my psyche long after reading it. Beyond mastering some element of craft, like writing authentic dialogue or having keen diction (also v important), I think a distinct and developed voice is the ultimate goal—like the gaps between the writer-artist-self are collapsed and you are generating from a place of pure truth.

Two weeks ago, I asked you to share 3 words that describe my writing style (thank you if you responded!) and the themes seemed to be: curious, accessible, and contemplative. One reader astutely hypothesized that my fiction voice is probably different. And it really is! Sometimes it’s irreverent and wily (like a Border Collie in need of a task); other times it’s understated and pensive (Irish Wolfhound). Sometimes this leaves me in mild distress, wishing that I could unify these disparate selves into a cohesive aesthetic; but other times I’m like ah, yes, multitudes.

I can’t wait to have a writing style so dialed in and iconic, like a Sally Rooney or Ocean Vuong. And I think it’ll get there, as long as I keep at it. I hear it takes a long time, after all.

Jamie

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