There are many blogs written advising bloggers to “find their own voice.” But what does that mean as a blogger. What is your writing voice? And how do you find it?

Simply stated, your voice is who you are. Your voice includes your personality, emotions, character, and heart. Your voice is what sets you apart from other writers. Your voice is what will keep your readers coming back to your blog.

But how do you develop your voice and writing style? How do you show your personality to your readers while still sounding professional and knowledgeable about your topic?

Here are 8 Ideas for Developing your Blogging Voice:

1. Write as if you were talking to a friend. Do you ever run out of things to say to your friends? Probably not. When you feel like you have run out of topics to blog about pretend you are talking to one of your friends. Learn to write with a natural, friendly tone.
2. Read other people’s blogs. Begin to notice their voice. Learn from others, but do not try to fit yourself into their mold. Admire other writers, but write in a way that is natural to you.
3. When you write, do not try to impress your readers. Your goal should be to engage your readers. Write in short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Get in the habit of putting something in front of people every day (Godin). Develop the habit of writing every day and post. This habit does not help if you save as a Draft—you must be willing to post your words.
5. Whenever possible, write in the active voice. What does that mean? Subject, verb, object. For example, “Carol wrote the blog”  (active) instead of  “the blog was written by Carol” (passive).
6. Tweeting will help you with this one. Get rid of the fluff. Words like very, rather, little, however, do not strengthen your point. How does Twitter help with this? In Twitter, you are forced to make your point in 140 characters or less.
7. Let your blog sit overnight or at least a few hours. Reread out loud and listen to your voice. How does it sound to you? Delete any unnecessary words and correct any grammatical and spelling errors.
8. Post! You must post!

For more help with learning to find your voice, read Dean Rieck’s Copy Writing Tips at Copyblogger.

I am interested in ideas for developing your blogging voice. Thanks for your feedback!

• http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/articles/howtosample/voice.htm
• http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/what-is-writers-voice-creative-writing-tips/ ( Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen)
• http://www.copyblogger.com/seth-godin-podcast/ (Seth Godin)
• http://www.copyblogger.com/brilliant-writing-tips/ (Dean Rieck)