When you are building a brand for your photography business, finding your voice in writing is vital. Yet one of the biggest struggles I hear from other creatives when it comes to creating content is knowing what to write and how to write it.
You want to sound professional but interesting, you want to inform, but not bore, you want to include plenty of information without overwhelming, all while you’re supposed to sound like yourself. How on Earth do you do that?
After being in business over 13 years I have found a few strategies that helped me to find my voice in writing for my business, helped me find focus, and when I’m feeling blocked I can return to for clarity. Of these four methods I use them all regularly still. To say they are tried and true is right on the money.
Ready to find your voice in writing for your business? Grab a pencil and start taking notes (or a cup of coffee and enjoy this post, then grab a pencil and paper to give them a try yourself).
First, journaling regularly will help you find your voice in writing.
One of the best ways to find your voice is to sit and simply write. I find putting pen to paper more effective than typing on the computer, however, do what works for you. The process of opening my journal and just writing whatever comes to mind is so freeing. There’s no agenda, no one will ever read it, the sheer purpose is to get my creative juices flowing, to flush out my head, and to connect with something other than myself (I often write my journals as a prayer).
It doesn’t matter what you write about. Just write. You can even start with something like “I have no idea what to write. This is stupid, Neyssa is crazy for this idea. How will I find inspiration and my voice in writing by writing whatever comes to mind….” Then just keep going.
See what happens. And what happens the more you put pen to paper. Many times I’ve found inspiration for topics to share later as blog posts or social media posts (which I then later add to the Notes page in my phone to use). But often it’s just a way to keep my brain working.
Just like I tell my 10 year old often, if you don’t practice multiplication facts regularly they become forgotten and harder to pull out when you need them. Writing is the same way.
Struggling to just write? That’s okay. There are plenty of inspiration and journal prompts out there. Grab a pretty journal, and pencil and put it by your bed and do it first thing when you wake up (don’t tell me you don’t have time, did you spend 20 minutes scrolling IG before getting out of bed today?! You have time).
Another strategy is to do a regular “brain dump”
You know that feeling where your brain is racing? Your to-do list swirls around your head and those things you can’t forget yet can’t get to keep circling back to remind you they need to be done. They also tend to come up when you’re trying to write content.
When I’m feeling that pull or overwhelm, I sit down, set a timer for 3 minutes and write EVERYTHING that comes to mind down. Nothing is too big or too small to go on my brain dump list.
Once I’m done I can go back and prioritize things that have a deadline, things that are goals and need to be added to the list, or added to the ideas of projects (or to the “honey do list”).
Then I get bless and release. I have my list, it’s on paper on my desk. Now I can write. I can focus on my voice in writing without those things popping up constantly.
You can then see how much easier words flow when to-dos aren’t bogging you down.
Another strategy to find your voice in writing is to jot notes whenever inspiration hits.
Sometimes the issue is sitting down to write and feeling the pressure of not knowing what to write. When you’re stuck writing anything, let alone something interesting, effective, and that shows your voice in writing feels impossible.
To help prevent this writers block, keep a journal with you wherever you go (I use the Notes App in my iPhone) so that you can jot down notes whenever inspiration hits. You never know what could spark an idea for a blog post or social media post – a song, a podcast, something your kids do, a client question, really anything could inspire you. By the time you actually sit down to write it that idea will be long gone.
You don’t need to write the entire piece, just enough of what comes to mind, enough to reignite that idea again. Then when you sit down and find yourself drawing a blank, you have a journal full of ideas and inspiration to get those juices flowing.
Finally, write. Just do it. Let go of Perfection.
Oftentimes we get in our own way. You think it has to be completely perfect and thus never starting or hitting publish. Or you think you have to have your voice in writing all figured out.
You can’t wait for something to be “perfect.” Just write. Then share it. The practice of writing and sharing will get easier the more you do it, the more you show up.
We tell our kids to practice learning a new sport or instrument before they can get better. Once again, we must take our own advice. Writing is a skill that takes practice. You’ll get better, ideas will flow more easily and your voice in writing will come. But you’ll never get there if you don’t start showing up.
There you have it, 4 writing strategies to help you find your voice for your business. Don’t let the process intimidate you, just pick up that pencil and start trying. Start with tip #1 or #2 above before forcing a blog post. Clear your brain and see how the juices start to flow.
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