Strict writing guidelines have their advantages and disadvantages. One of the common struggles that most writers face is finding the balance between pleasing a User and their guidelines while staying true to their writing voice. Unfortunately, when writing for other people, you do not always have the luxury of expressing yourself freely. However, this doesn’t mean you cannot continue to develop or maintain your writing voice as you write for other people. Consider the exercises below to help maintain or evolve your writing voice while primarily writing for other Users.

Writing Exercises
Writing exercises are not only great at helping you get through writers block, but they are also perfect at helping writers strengthen their writing voices. One particularly helpful exercise is daily writing warm-ups. Set aside time each day to do a quick five-minute writing exercise. Some of your best work is produced when you are free to write as you wish without adherence to any writing rules. Set your timer, and write for five minutes straight. Write about whatever comes to mind and don’t stop until the timers rings. What comes out when you write like this is your voice. This is as raw, natural and authentic as your voice will ever be. Don’t edit your writing, and don’t sensor it during these exercises. Just simply write.

Compare Your Old Writing Work
A great way to maintain or evolve your writing voice is to go back and examine your old writings frequently. Evaluate how well you convey your emotions through your writing. Do you notice any patterns? To continue to evolve, it is important to be conscious of your progression.

One effective way to monitor this progression is to evaluate it based on various topics. From the queue in Content Runner, Writers can review their work and see where their voice is more pronounced. They can also evaluate how their writing style varies based on User and topic. This will not only keep voices fresh, it can help avoid repetition and generate new ideas and angles that will help explore articles with similar topics in depth.

Keeping up With Your Voice after You Find It
Do you use specific terminology, phrases or words that allow your readers to immediately recognize your work anywhere? Branding is very important when your goal is to keep up with your voice after you develop it. Have fun with your branding. Invent your own terminology to help you express yourself and place these little stamps of distinction throughout work. Maybe your branding goal is not to focus on words specifically, but rather the way you string your sentences together. Whatever route you decide to use for branding, make certain that it reflects who you are and it allows your voice to stand out.

One of the greatest struggles that Writers face is finding and honing their voice. Once you find it, you carve out a special niche that is unique to you and your writing style. Finding your voice is the key to unlocking your true creative potential. Your voice is what makes your writing authentic and exclusive. As a freelance writer, you have to remember that you are a brand. Your writing brand is probably what made your User notice you. While it is important that you adhere to your User’s guidelines, take the time to hone your voice so that you can continue to define your writing. With time and persistence, your voice will get the recognition that it deserves. Just remember to practice daily writing exercises, refer back to your old work and have fun with it.