Writers are advised to "find your own voice," meaning, express yourself in a way that is authentic and unique to you.
One who managed that is Ira Glass, the creator of the radio series, "This American Life." He started out wanting to tell the stories of ordinary people. This set him apart because usually the emphasis is on interviewing famous people.
There's the first lesson: find something you want to do that's different from what most people are doing.
He says he didn't even know what it would be to be a reporter, he just understood what it would be to talk to regular people. He says, "And it was really a puzzle, how do you do that in a way that would be compelling and exciting to listen to?"
Lesson two: You'll probably struggle for a while to find how to do what you intend to do.
He notes, "You really have to be a soldier, you really have to fight and get in there and just make stuff, just force yourself to make stuff. It's really hard to do."
Lesson three: The way to discover how to do it is to do it. Expect obstacles, and persist.
Although now "This American Life" is a hugely popular radio series, it took time to build an audience and not everybody got it at first. Getting backing can be a challenge. Glass says, "The more idealistic and idiosyncratic the project, the more cunning you have to be about the business side of it."
Lesson four: Be prepared to be as creative in marketing what you create as you are in creating it.
Finally, he points out that it took ages for him to get good at what he set out to do and adds, "I wish somebody had told me that's normal."
Lesson five: That's normal.
You can watch a four-minute video of Glass discussing these points here.
Another person who went through that process with huge success was artist Andy Warhol.
ANDY WARHOL'S PERSPECTIVE
Andy Warhol also had good advice on this topic:
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art."
He also said, "There is beauty in everything, just not everybody sees it."
Ira Glass found the beauty in the stories of ordinary people, and he helps us appreciate it, too.
Maybe that's what finding your creative voice is about: figuring out your way of helping people see the things you see but most people don't.
It's clear that finding your creative voice isn't about a flash of inspiration. It's a trial-and-error process and it never ends...and it's what makes writing worth doing.
