Why I Am Letting My Work Sound More Like Me
Using my authentic voice is one of the things I value most as a writer. I don’t want my work to sound like it passed through a dozen editors until every bit of personality disappeared. I want it to sound like me. Honest. Curious. Thoughtful. A little adventurous. A woman who has actually lived the stories she’s telling.
The internet is full of polished content, but polish alone rarely stays with me. The writing I remember has personality. It carries humor, vulnerability, curiosity, and conviction. It feels like someone is sitting across the table talking with me instead of performing for an algorithm.
That is the kind of writing I continue striving for on DG Speaks.
The Sentence I Would Actually Say
Whenever I edit an article, I often ask myself one simple question: Would I actually say this out loud?
If the answer is no, I rewrite it. I want my articles to sound like conversations, not lectures. My readers are intelligent. They don’t need complicated language to understand thoughtful ideas. They need honesty delivered with clarity.
Less Polish, More Pulse
Good writing deserves editing, but it should never lose its heartbeat. An authentic voice leaves room for personality. It reflects lived experience instead of trying to imitate everyone else.
That belief connects closely with my articles about digital storytelling and Black women storytellers. Diverse voices make better conversations because they remind us there is never only one way to tell a story.
A Voice With Travel Dust On It
My voice has been shaped by airports, village markets, long train rides, classrooms, farms, development projects, independent films, food festivals, quiet cafés, and countless conversations with people whose lives look very different from my own.
I hope those experiences stay visible in my writing. I don’t want to sound like someone who simply researched a destination. I want readers to feel like they’re hearing from someone who walked the streets, tasted the food, asked questions, and kept listening long after the camera was put away.
Writing That Keeps My Accent
Every writer develops tools that help protect creativity. Sometimes that means finding a quiet place to think. Sometimes it means using notebooks, travel journals, or equipment that makes the creative process easier. Many of the products I regularly use can be found in my Amazon storefront, while Calm is one resource I appreciate for creating space to slow down and think.
At the end of the day, authentic voice is about trust. I want readers to recognize me from one article to the next. I want the page to sound like the same woman they would meet over coffee, at a film festival, on the Camino, or wandering through a local market somewhere in the world. That kind of consistency feels far more valuable than perfection ever could.
You might also enjoy DG Speaks Travel, DG Speaks Food, and DG Speaks Culture.
