Finding Your Voice in Journaling

Have you ever searched for something you wanted and then found out you already had it? That's how it is with writing and finding your writing voice. Each of us has a voice or tone that we tend to gravitate toward but we don't know what it is exactly or how to explain it.

Your voice shows your personal attitude and that very attitude is translated into your writing. Your most enjoyable writing will be your writing which uses your natural voice.

Here's a quiz to help you determine your journaling voice:

Find a journaling entry that you enjoy. Read it. What do you enjoy about it the most?

1. The facts, including names, dates and places, are all included and well presented
2. The written details are vivid and bring back clear memories
3. The journaling is light-hearted and fun
4. The journaling entry makes you laugh
5. The writing touches your emotions

Your favorite subjects to journal are:

1. Special events like holidays, graduation and weddings
2. Vacation layouts which detail what you saw and visited
3. Everyday life events
4. Funny moments, thoughts and memories
5. Things and people that inspire and enrich your life

The vocabulary in your writing tends to be:

1. Strong with a wide selection of verbs
2. Eloquent with an array of adjectives
3. Casual with a good amount of slang, colloquialisms or abbreviations
4. Flippant with a clever use of words
5. A balanced mix of verbs and adjectives

When writing an e-mail or letter to a friend you are most likely to be:

1. Formal, stating the necessary facts, and/or brief
2. Descriptive, making sure your friend knows all the details
3. Casual with the use of ellipses and incomplete sentences
4. Fun, using slang and emoticons
5. Encouraging, letting your friend know your thoughts

At a casual party you are more likely to relate stories that:

1. Give helpful information or step-by-step directions
2. Provide details
3. Come from things happening currently in your life
4. Tell a humorous story
5. Encourage and help others

Look at your answers for a gauge of your journaling voice. Here are a few possibilities:

Mostly 1's: Factual. You like to get the facts recorded. You like your journaling to be neat and correct so you focus on spelling, pagination and fonts. Keeping focused on the facts provides your journaling with a wealth of accurate information. Your layouts are a great historical documents.

Mostly 2's: Descriptive. You find pleasure in using adjectives to describe what you've seen and done. In the end, you want to remember the little details of the event, person or place that you might otherwise forget. Your details are appreciated for their magic of reliving those moments. Your layouts are remembered for the detailed stories and images.

Mostly 3's: Casual. You enjoy everyday life and you want to preserve it. You like to journal with a casual tone, including incomplete sentences. You probably enjoy hand journaling. Your casual nature breathes a fun spirit into your layouts. Your layouts are a memorable slice of life.

Mostly 4's: Light-hearted. You can be the life of the party for your stories and humorous anecdotes. You may be high energy but playful at the same time. You like to be playful in your layout design and journaling as well, often experimenting with new things. Your layouts are a fun and lively recording of life.

Mostly 5's: Sensitive. Everyone comments on your heartfelt journaling. You enjoy sharing yourself and your memories with others. People take center stage in your layouts but you also feature places and things that mean a lot to you. Your layouts inspire and encourage other people.

Of course, layout topics will influence your voice. Should you use a voice other than your own? Yes, at times, the layout may require something a bit different than usual. But once you find your voice, you will struggle less with your writing.

Next time you're stumped on your journaling, try to write it in the voice that is most comfortable for you. It can also make your writing process easier as well as more enjoyable.