Remember Jeff Goins, my blogging/writing mentor? He’s brilliant. And he’s fabulous.
And he says that part of discovering your writing voice is in asking others about your “voice.” (More on that HERE, if you’re interested. And you should be.)
Have you ever done that? You know, asked somebody else what oozes out of you? It’s an interesting experience–sorta like standing in front of a fun-house mirror. Or maybe it’s more like standing in front of a regular mirror only to realize that you’ve been standing in front of a fun-house mirror all your life.
In other words, sometimes others’ descriptions of us help us clarify who we really are, outside of our own biased and self-protective distortions.
So. Hi, dear reader who might’ve just shown up a few weeks ago (Tay), or those of you who have been around here Fo-Eh-Va (Papa, Red, Nor, Ed, and all the others who I think are amazing), and also those of you who know me in real life with my talking voice and all…
Here’s the question: What do you hear here? How would you describe “my” voice?
**AND, as a bonus for answering the above question: If you want us to check out your voice, leave a link to your favorite post from the past two weeks, and we’ll check it out!**
**Note I said you have to answer the question first. yes. I’m not afraid to bribe you.
Hugs.
I hear someone I could tell anything to. I hear depth and humor and questioning, always delving into the hard questions. I hear warmth and everydayness and truth. I hear someone I would want to know in real life. I hear a commonness of mind. I hear realness.
http://carrieblueberry.wordpress.com
“commonness of mind” = uh oh.
just kidding.
And your blog? So totally real. In liberating ways!
i hear someone who is kind, real, fun, and a good listener.
Drew and I have these silly little inside jokes. And one of them goes something like this:
D: “Thanks for letting me talk on and on about this book I’m reading. You’re a really good listener.”
M: “Huh?”
D: “I said thanks for lett…..”
M: Evil laugh. “haha gotcha!”
Oh it frustrates the crap out of him when I do that. But it’s SO fun. And he can never get me.
Ok. Maybe once. To my one bazillion times!
Clever, quirky, conversational, passionate and curious.
By the way, interesting that you asked us to state what we “hear”. We don’t actually “hear” anything. Interesting………… Are you an auditory learner? That is usually what that implies. I am a visual and kinestic learner and almost always say, I “see” or I “feel” (mostly I feel). So my instinctive response to your question would be “I see you as…” or “I feel that you are…” Just a thought.
I’m auditory/kinesthetic. But that’s not why I said “hear”–I will explain so this won’t keep you up all night.
teehee
mkay. Hear rhymes with here. So the songwriter in me got all catchy about it. Yay #1. And voice is usually a sound, not just words, even though in this instance it’s about your tone and personality and manner of communicating through words, not just how you sound when you speak out of your mouth. But that gets all technical and my brain goes to mush. Boo #1 So, I guess if I’m talking about my voice, it’d be a bit smoother than if I used “hear” instead of see or read. Yay #2
At least that’s what I think I was thinking when I wrote it. Sometime last week. Pre-headcold medicine. Boo #3. I can’t be held responsible for myself right now. My fingers feel like they are two inches wide and typing is more like punching at keys. Boo #4
Haha, nice! Did I mention funny in my description?
Girl I try! *batting eyelashes*
I hear a country girl writing/singing openly, and honestly, about her thoughts and feelings.
Someone with a strong foundation of faith and family, and with still with a lot of important questions, but willing to risk asking them even though the answers may not be what she wants to hear.
Very creative, a lot of fun to be with. Also part rebel, strong willed, might be a pain in the butt at times.
Most importantly a great friend, wife, mentor and spokesperson for her faith in how she lives her life.
Confession? The foundation isn’t as firm as you think… But that pain-in-the-butt thing? You’re SO right about that. I can be downright bratty.
I “hear” someone who is passionate, loves connecting with people and engaging the community while also challenging but not forgetting about just having fun too. =)
i haven’t written for a week or so because of my silly computer dying on me…but my new one is on its way!
but here’s the link anyway.
http://bahava.wordpress.com
sad day! my comment disappeared…or at least i think it did…so we’ll try that again.
but anyway. I “hear’ someone who is passionate, connects and engages with the community in a challenging way but also doesn’t lose sight of having fun, and who is real =)
and i haven’t written for a while since my computer died…but my new one is on the way so here’s the link anyway: http://bahava.wordpress.com
I rescued you! Sorry. Those links make y’all look like spammers. But I kicked the spam-monster in the teeth and sent it home whimpering. Thank you for your words!
Thanks for the shout-out, Mandy!
On this blog, I hear fun little snippets of your everyday life. I hear someone who genuinely cares about how me and my own life. You are one of the few bloggers out there that actually reply to every one of your reader’s comments! Thank you so much for taking the time to rea ad respond to what everyone here has to say!
You’re welcome, Tay! I do enjoy the conversation. I do.
I hear:
authenticity
an overwhelming amount of love for someone named Drew (in a good way)
soul searching (esp. lately)
and an invitation
http://bit.ly/l9cydI
You’ve just entered the soul-searching. It is horribly never-ending, my friend.
I hear depth and love and interest. I hear questions without answers, prompting us to think through our perceptions. I hear a girl trying to make sense of life while seeking God through her pain and creating beauty along the way. I hear honest vulnerability coupled with humor, bringing balance to the conversation.
I’ve seen growth over the years, and I feel safe here…
(I’m not writing much these days…this would be the most recent: http://considerjesus.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/forgive-us/ )
“I’ve seen growth over the years”…. that means a lot to me, Red. A lot. You have been here for a while and I know you know. Thank you.
although i have definitely never met you before in life and actually heard your voice I know it has to have some country. I can tell by the way you write everything that you are an evident resident of the south! It is kind of perplexing though because it seems like you are a coffee kind of girl… but I can’t necessarily imagine a country AND coffee person put together because well out here in the midwest that is just unimaginable.
Your voice is one that seems to be open to ideas. Excited for conversation. One who would sit and talk to someone for a couple of hours just about life.
No need to imagine a coffee + country person. I am she.
And I need to do another video blog soon, so you can get a firm grip on my country-ness. And I might consider taking my grandma along for the ride, so you can also get a firm grip on my lack-of-country-ness as well!
Yeah that will definitely be an interesting video blog!
I hear a young girl who is passionate about the art of music — and the music of art. She is hungry to learn the details of her craft. Her voice makes it clear that she does this because she wants to be a better artist. And that she is not infatuated with results, but understands quite well the work it has taken — and the work it will take — for her to improve her craft.
In the midst of her journey, she has been a very gracious hostess. Her voice resonates with an inviting relaxation that makes people feel at home and welcome. She has a great talent, but is not arrogant in her pursuits; her hunger keeps her humble, as do her personal trials. She has shared her testimony in honesty and anger, even as that story is still unfolds. The humanity of her voice has, at times, inspired me to share aspects of my own testimony. Her sense of humor is pure and fun and silly and, at times, downright hilariously ridiculous.
—–
I really have no idea when the last time was you actually read my blog so I’m going to get all selfish here and leave a few links that are most likely going to cause this comment to get lost in spam and disappear forever!
Something funny:
http://thenoreaster.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/21-sunbeams/
Something personal:
http://thenoreaster.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/and-dont-buy-no-green-bananas/
And, of course, something serious:
http://thenoreaster.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/when-lightning-strikes-twice/
Take your pick.
Wow…. Like most of your blog posts (that I do occasionally read) I’m speechless. If there’s ever a memoir or biography or something equally presumptuous, I might need to use these words. Thank you, Nor. And, I’m picking “funny” because I’m less likely to become speechless!
so I’ve been mulling this around for a couple of days, and I am going to borrow some thoughts from some other comments – redundancy is sometimes a good thing! I hear authenticity – no pretense, just real and transparent. I also want to tag onto something noreaster touched on and that’s the word “hostess”. I feel like you’ve created a place with your authenticity that has “the door is always open” kind of feel. the kind of hostess that says, “help yourself to a coffee, you know where the cups are and just rummage the fridge for the cream! oh, and grab me one too!”. this isn’t really voice as much as the atmosphere you’ve created with your voice. the two are just so intertwined for me that separating them seems unnecessary and impossible!
and I’ll post the last post I wrote – although you’ve already read it!!
http://foodjournalcorifraser.blogspot.com/2011/05/waiting-on-sign.html
I think it is voice. Even the impression we leave on people is a part of our voice…. It’s how we communicate to others, whether it be on the lines, or between the lines. I’m glad to know that there’s an open door here, because I really want this conversation to be such! This whole blog would be a massive embarrassment and failure were it not for those of you brave enough to join in the conversation. And that’s how I want it to go.
Mandy! I think you write just like you talk, actually, which is so amazing and hard to do. I think you are authentic and real. Even when you talk about your life or your music or your achievements, humility and authenticity come through. You never give off the air of a “rock star” or a self-promoter – you give off the air of a real person with a real, everyday life. Your writing voice is also pretty funny and sassy!
http://carolinecobbsmith.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-scripture-to-music-collective.html
You would be on my mind in my last 15 minutes. I would want you to know I am sorry, and somehow get Rocky Road and Basic 4 cereal to you.
This is powerful stuff.
Oops wrong spot. Sorry.
Thanks, Mandy. You’re extremely kind.
When I heard your blog, I hear someone who is passionate about life and is living it.
Thanks Jeff! I’m trying.