Why Writing Authentically is Not as Easy as it Seems, and How you can Find your Voice

Hey, it’s me. The real me. 

Stripped bare of all the marketing speak that surrounds it, authenticity often boils down to two things: speaking from the heart and being the real you. So, if you want to write or communicate authentically, all you have to do is draw from that well and you're done. Right? 

Doing so can’t be that hard. After all, no one on this globe, not even your spouse or next of kin, knows you better than you know yourself. And yet, finding that well is something a lot of people who string words together for a living struggle with out of the gate. 

In a way, that’s odd. Every day, thousands of words flow through our lips and a gazillion more echo through the chambers of our minds. But speaking plainly and speaking authentically are two very different things. And maybe, speaking or writing with authenticity is hard just because, depending on which neuroscientist you ask, authenticity doesn’t even exist.  

Much like identity and creativity, they argue, authenticity is a mere mishmash based on everything you’ve experienced, been thought and influenced by throughout your life. There is no pure inner voice. And no such thing as true authenticity. 

Not so fast.  

In storytelling and creative writing, a craft I practise with considerable zeal, the saying goes that every story has already been told... but not by you. The idea is that it’s exactly everything that we’ve experienced and have been influenced by is what makes us unique. No two people share the same perspective because no two people have lived identical lives. The life you’re living is like a prism from which a unique color palette originates. Yours. And that’s where your authenticity lies. 

For words to resonate, a writer must speak from their own unique, beating heart. A story doesn’t ring true when its author isn’t. That goes for fiction, but it also goes for journalism, copywriting and communication. Words don’t sing if you don’t know how to compose your own music. Sure, there are always tricks of the trade, rules and books and theory and whatnot. They form the foundation of your craft. They are what get you up the hill. But it’s not until you start filing and polishing and sharpening your pen that you’ll hit the notes that feel like they’re yours. 

When you look at your body of work, pay attention to what feels natural, what patterns emerge:

• Do you always search for the human story behind the facts? 

• Do you explain complex ideas through humour? 

• Are you fascinated by contradictions? 

• Do you instinctively write with optimism, melancholy or curiosity? 

That’s the well to draw from. 

Because from there, you’ll add unique insights to the conversation and convey your strongest message. One that will resonate with readers, clients or consumers, because they recognise the humanity behind them.

Communication has always been about building trust. And trust begins the moment readers feel there is an actual person behind the words.