Ever reread something you wrote that was so boring you fell asleep, slammed your head on your desk, and got your daughter’s glitter-soaked art project all over your face?
(Just me? Okay then.)
As I began the arduous task of picking confetti out of my hair, I knew my writing had a problem.
Not a typo problem. Not a formatting problem.
A voice problem.
There was nothing technically wrong with it.
It flowed. It was structured. It made a point (not to brag, but it actually made two points).
And yet, for some reason, it just didn’t sound like me.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, but the thing was lifeless…
A store-brand version of something that used to have flavor.
It took me a while, but I figured it out.
I wrote what I was supposed to say.
But I didn’t say it like I would say it.
And because of that, my writing sounded like everyone else’s.
If you’ve ever reread your own stuff and thought, “Who wrote this and why is it so beige?” — you’ll like this week’s topic.
The Four Things That Kill Voice
Over a decade ago, I wrote a line that rings true now more than ever:
"The blogosphere is a lot like being trapped in an elevator with actors Jack Nicholson, William Devane, and Christian Slater. If you close your eyes, everyone sounds the same."
Replace "blogosphere" with Substack, X, LinkedIn, you name it.
It's everywhere these days.
Everyone writes the same, sounds the same, and follows the same advice.
Precious few are writing in their true voice.
But why is that?
Well, I blame 4 things:
1. School Trained You to Sound Smart, Not Real
Writing in school was always performative.
You weren’t writing to be understood. You were writing to be graded.
That meant long sentences. Big words. Passive voice.
The more abstract you sounded, the more grown-up you were.
And if you ever did try to sound like yourself (if you wrote something with rhythm, humor, honesty, or edge), you probably got a C+ and a polite note in the margin.
So you learned the rules.
You learned how to write “correctly.”
And somewhere along the way, you forgot how to write like you.
2. Marketing Taught You to Sound Like a Copywriter
Fast forward a few years.
Now you’re writing to grow your audience. You’re trying to make money, build something, get seen.
So you study the best.
You read email marketers who write in punchy one-liners.
You follow bloggers who use cliffhangers and beats of three.
You grab swipe files. You study frameworks. You model success.
And slowly… your voice starts to shift again.
But this time, you’re not sounding like a 10th-grade essay. You’re sounding like “That Internet Person™.”
Every sentence ends in a hook.
Every headline reads like a BuzzFeed rewrite.
Every thought has been chewed up and repackaged until there’s nothing original left.
The worst part about all this?
It works. Sort of.
You start getting clicks. People comment. You see growth.
But deep down, you know you’re not saying what you want to say the way you actually want to say it.
You’re just hitting the right emotional buttons.
You’re following the formula, and the formula is flattening you.
3. AI is Writing the Same Thing, the Same Way, for Everyone
Look, I get it.
AI is efficient. It’s helpful. It saves time.
But it’s also trained on the same stuff everyone else is reading.
Which means it’s echoing what’s already safe, popular, and optimized.
And the more people rely on it to shape their writing, the more everything you see online sounds the same:
The same rhythm
Same advice
Same structure
Same voice (which is to say… none)
You don’t have to avoid AI completely.
Just stop outsourcing the parts that are supposed to sound like you.
4. Fear Does the Rest
Even if you never went to school for writing…
Even if you ignore every swipe file and funnel framework…
And even if you've never used AI to write a haiku, much less a piece of content...
You’ll still feel the urge to water yourself down.
Why?
Because saying what you actually think — the way you actually think it — is terrifying.
What if it sounds dumb? What if it turns people off? What if someone screenshots it and uses it as a case study in how not to write?
That’s the part no one talks about.
Finding your voice forces you to be vulnerable.
If people don’t like your style, you can always blame the format.
But if people don’t like your voice?
That’s personal.
So you start trimming. You round off the edges. You take out the parts that feel a little too honest.
And before you know it...
The Parts You Keep Editing? That’s Probably Your Voice.
Here’s how voice usually shows up:
You write a line without overthinking.
It isn't clean. It isn't clever. And it's not something that anyone would restack or retweet.
But it feels right.
Then your brain kicks in:
“That sounds weird.”
“People might not get it.”
“Maybe take that part out.”
So you delete it. And just like that, your voice is gone again.
Most of us lose our voices because we're good editors.
Too good.
We can smooth a sentence until it’s frictionless.
We can polish a paragraph until there’s nothing sharp left.
And what you’re left with is something that reads fine, but sounds like Nicholson, Devane, and Slater.
Same tone. Same patterns. Same nothingness.
So What Do You Do?
If you want your writing to sound like you, you’ve got to break the cycle.
1. Stop Writing for Imaginary People
Most people write for their imaginary critics.
You picture the snarky comment you’ll get. The smart friend who might read it. The expert in your field who will silently judge it.
So you play it safe. You write in defense.
But voice comes from clarity, not caution.
Stop writing for people who aren’t even reading.
Write for the ones who are.
If they’re your people, they’ll get it.
And if they’re not? Who cares.
2. Leave the “Bad” Sentences In
If you write something and your first instinct is to delete it… don’t.
Leave it.
You can always come back to it.
But in that moment, treat it like evidence. It’s probably the one line you wrote with no filter.
It might suck (heck, it probably does suck), but it's your kinda suck.
3. Say It Ugly, Then Clean It Slightly
When you’re drafting, say it the way it sounds in your head.
Not how it should sound. Not how it would sound on someone else’s site.
Say it like you’d say it to a friend who actually listens.
Then, and only then, go back and shape it.
Tighten it, sure. But don’t neuter it.
4. Reread It Out Loud (and Listen for the Wrong Voice)
When you read something you wrote and cringe a little, pay attention.
What part made you squirm?
Was it too much? Too clean? Too unlike you?
Read until you hit a section that sounds like you again.
That’s your voice.
Backtrack from there.
5. Create Before You Consume
Your voice gets cloudy when you binge other people’s content.
So don’t start your day reading tweets.
Don’t scroll Substack before you’ve written your first Note.
Don’t study someone else’s format before you’ve hit publish.
Create first.
Say what you think before you see how everyone else said it.
That’s the only way to know what your voice actually sounds like.
Final Thought
Most writing advice tells you to “write with voice” like it’s a setting you can toggle on.
But voice isn’t something you add.
You already have it.
You’ve just buried it under every version of you that was trying to sound smarter, safer, or more acceptable.
And if you want it back, say the thing you keep editing.
Say it how it actually sounds in your head.
Say it before you second-guess yourself into oblivion.
Let it be too much.
Let it feel risky.
That’s what voice is.
📜 Stackable Quote
"The writing voice that’s uniquely you isn’t missing. It’s there, waving its arms, trying to get your attention. You just keep deleting it before you click publish."
Full Note below:
Over to You
Have you struggled with finding your voice? What helped you?
Leaver a comment and let me know.
And if you enjoyed what you just read, I’d love it if you liked and restacked it.
Until next time…
~ Kevin