"Finding Your Voice" by Carolyn Sloan

"...I was searching for something outside myself-- some sound that did not belong to me, that was not a part of me and was never to be created by me. And all the time I could have spent investigating my own instrument was instead trying to imitate and recreate [the] "perfect voice"... Remember your true voice can only be arrived at with a relaxed concentration and careful attention to individuality."

I read this quote during a brief time when I had delusions of actually being a good singer. I loved this quote and it has stuck with me, even if I'm still an off-key, toneless singer.

Too often when we start to develop our writing talents and skills, we immediately look to see how everyone else is doing it and we attempt to imitate them. We all have a true writer's voice that is uniquely ours; when we find that individuality, we can truly excel. That's when we don't just write, we create.