By Michelle Griep, @MichelleGriep

What makes a writer unique is his voice. No, not some raspy, chain-smoking kind of gravelly tone. I’m talking about the way an author puts words together. How a writer lets sentences flow exactly as he thinks them. 

In essence: being yourself.

The elusive thing about voice, though, is that you can’t learn it. You already have it. The trick is in letting it loose. But there are a few things you can do to help your voice be heard loud and clear . . . 

Let ‘er rip.

You do not have to follow all the writing “rules” that you’ve learned. In fact, if you do, you’ll be so stymied by the fear of breaking those rules that the only voice a reader will hear is a timid little mouse squeak. So pry your fingers off the fear button. Go ahead. Here’s your permission.

Be yourself.

Do you use slang a lot when you speak? Then use it in your writing. Do you talk like a ‘hood rat about to bust dat sweet deal? Use that tone. Are you a prim and proper grammar nazi whilst partaking of a discussion? Then dot your i’s and cross your t’s in your manuscript. The point is that you should write like you talk.

Read.

I know. This sounds like a stupid made-up way to gain your voice. How the heck can reading other author’s voices help you? Believe it or not, it can. When you see how other writers craft their work, fearless, blunt, rhythmic, it frees you to pen words in your own creative way. Peer pressure works. Just sayin’.

Write.

The more you write, the more you’ll feel comfortable slapping words on a page, the more likely your voice will roam free from your head to your fingertips.

Above all, just be natural. Getting freaked out about voice is a sure way to muzzle it. If you immerse yourself in the story, your voice can’t help but come out.

The House at the End of the Moor

What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?

Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house. Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She is the author of historical romances: The Captured Bride, The Innkeeper’s Daughter, 12 Days at Bleakly Manor, The Captive Heart, Brentwood’s Ward, and A Heart Deceived, but also leaped the historical fence into the realm of contemporary with the zany romantic mystery Out of the Frying Pan. If you’d like to keep up with her escapades, find her at www.michellegriep.com or stalk her on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.