Have you ever written something and then a few days later you read it and you think “was that really me?”. Is your writing consistent?
In this article I want to talk about the concept of being yourself when you write or add content to your website or someone else’s site.
Whose Content Is It Anyway?
Are you writing your own content or are you trying to copy someone else? Being an author – which is what writing is all about – is about branding yourself and therefore you need to be yourself rather than trying to copy someone else’s style.
By all means you can look at other peoples styles and find the one that fits in with your own personality and the way you write. Use other writing for ideas but not to copy.
If you have ever read a book or content that is information about the same topic but has been written by various different people then you will inevitably learn different points from each of the writers because one writers style will connect with you more than another persons. One point will come across to you in an easier to understand way than the very same point written by someone else.
If you then need to make a decision about a complete course on a particular topic you will most likely buy the course that has been produced by the person who was able to explain the topic to you the best. Whether it is written, audio or video format.
Finding Your Natural Writing Style
One way to “find your natural style” is to speak your content. This is what I do. Not only does my content come across more naturally and therefore connect better with people it is also quicker for me to create the content.
I use speech recognition software and I have a video demonstration that you can watch to see how well it works: Dragon Naturally Speak Demo
I believe it is really important to be yourself when you write so that all of your content is consistent and people reading it can really develop a relationship with you the writer. This will encourage your readers to back again and again to read your content because it is consistent and always sounds like you! This is the same if it is audio content or video content – you will be consistent and still sound like you!
- Be honest with yourself. Are you being yourself in all that you do in your business?
- Do you need to find your own style?
- What type of person are you: analytical? witty? observant? Add this part of you to your content.
- Stuck for ideas? Start reading magazines and get a feel for different successful styles of writing. What style connects with you the most?