Years ago, when I was pitching my first two books, one publisher responded with interest. Through the give and take of our correspondence, they asked about my writing voice. I paused, staring at the page. I’d heard the phrase before, but I wasn’t entirely sure what they meant. Voice? As in style? Tone? Attitude? Was I supposed to sound like someone specific?
So, I did what most writers do when faced with ambiguity: I researched.
I learned I wasn’t alone. Voice and tone are often mixed up, even by seasoned writers. They’re closely related but not the same thing, and grasping the difference can transform your writing as well as how readers connect with your work.
In this post, I’ll break down the main differences and provide tangible examples to help you sharpen your voice and tone, and thus generate writing that resonates.
What Is Voice in Writing?
First, let me say what your voice is not. It’s not trying to compare yourself to some other author’s writing style. Your writing voice is like your fingerprint: distinctive, personal, and uniquely yours. It’s a blend of style, rhythm, perspective, and personality that comes through in everything you write. It shows up in sentence structure, word choice, pacing, and even the worldview behind your writing. Your voice makes it unmistakably you.
A Few Examples of Writing Voice:
- Anne McCaffrey: emotionally rich and accessible, blending clear, direct prose with imaginative worldbuilding and a deep empathy for characters navigating personal growth within fantastical settings.
- Lori Soard: gentle, heartfelt, and intimate, often weaving faith, family, and romance into stories that offer emotional warmth, subtle humor, and a strong sense of home and personal redemption.
- Lois Lowry: spare, contemplative, and quietly powerful, using simple, precise language to explore complex themes like memory, identity, and morality through the eyes of young protagonists discovering the deeper truths of their world.
With experience, your voice evolves, becoming more recognizable and consistent.
What Is Tone in Writing?
While voice is distinctive, personal, and uniquely yours, tone is the mood or attitude you bring to a specific piece. It reflects how you feel about your subject, your audience, or both. It’s what makes writing sound playful or serious, sarcastic or sincere, hopeful or tense. Unlike voice, which tends to stay consistent, tone is flexible and depends on your topic, purpose, and audience.
A Few Examples of Tone:
Playful: “Let’s be honest, writing a novel is 10% inspiration and 90% caffeine and crying.”
Serious: “Writing a novel requires discipline, structure, and an unwavering commitment to craft.”
Sarcastic: “Sure, every writer’s first draft is flawless. Said no editor ever.”
Sincere: “It takes courage to write your truth, even when it feels vulnerable.”
The same writer, with the same voice, can move between tones depending on context. For example, I might write in a warm, encouraging tone in a blog post, shift to intense and suspenseful in a dramatic chapter of one of my books, or adopt a lighthearted, witty tone on social media. It all depends on the goal.
Why Writrs Need to Master Both
Picture a speaker delivering a speech in monotone: flat, unchanging, and dull. No matter how important the message, it’s hard to stay engaged. That’s the risk writers face if they ignore voice or tone.
· Your voice makes you recognizable. It’s the consistent personality behind your words; how readers connect with you.
· Your tone helps readers feel what you want: humor, empathy, suspense, or inspiration. It’s the emotional overlay of your voice, guiding readers’ moods and reactions.
Mastering both means writing is authentic, dynamic, and engaging. When voice and tone work together seamlessly, your work forms stronger connections with readers and becomes memorable.
How to Find Your Voice and Control Your Tone
If you’re wondering how to answer the “What’s your writing voice?” question, these steps will help you:
- Read your writing aloud. Hearing your words helps you spot your natural rhythm, favorite phrases, and personality shining through.
- Strip away trends and mimicry. Your voice isn’t about copying what’s popular. It’s your unique way of expressing ideas. Focus on what feels authentic.
- Write as you speak, then refine. Start conversational, like talking to a friend. Then polish while keeping that natural tone. Your real voice feels like you.
- Notice how others describe your writing. Feedback from editors, readers, or reviews often reveals your voice better than you realize. Are you “warm,” “direct,” or “thoughtful”? These clues help you understand your style.
Following these steps, I can now say my writing voice is warm, earnest, morally grounded, with clear prose, hopeful themes, and character-driven adventure. Notice I don’t mention genre because voice goes deeper than categories.
Controlling your tone means adjusting the emotional attitude of each piece to fit your purpose and audience, while your voice remains your steady foundation.
Practice these steps, and you’ll be able to confidently describe your voice and use it to connect deeply with readers.
