Finding My Song in "Voice"

 

 

I have been doing way more reading about writing than actual writing lately and that stinks to me. I just want to write, but the more I read about it the more I wonder if I am ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know that I should just do it. But most writers I know (not that I personally 'know' any) understand that it really isn't as easy as the Nike commercial suggests "Just Do It."

 

I have a song I want to sing. It's a song about pain and redemption. It's about love and forgiveness. It's based on my own life.  It's a difficult song to sing because I find myself in the throngs of the pain, as if I am a Thornbird, singing my most beautiful song as I die...not literally of course. I find myself dealing with emotions and thoughts that mean I need to 'die' to in order to write them with the passion that is truly needed. This song hurts to sing, but I must sing it, because if I do not, I cannot move forward and sing my next song.

 

Some of you may understand this kind of agony. You too have a song you must sing.  And no matter the style or venue, you must find "you". You must find your voice.  And this dilemma has been plaguing me this past week as I struggle to write my "song". You see, I need to find my voice.  I need to find what makes me uniquely 'me.' And once I have those ideas down, only then can my song be unique to me.

 

I have been reading lately - taking a break from my writing for a piece. I have read several different styles by several different authors. Once you read a certain author a few times, you will begin to see their 'way'. I can read one author and say to myself, "that is just like me." Or, "that is something I would say." Or, "That is just how I would word that sentence."  So now I am just a little befuddled. If I am seeing my style in others' writings, how am I ever going to find "me"?  This is a question that keeps me from singing my song, I suppose.  Because I do not want people to read my work and say, "She writes just like so-and-so." I want to be Petra.  That's all.

 





And so as I continue to learn more about myself and how I relate to the world around me, I am finding it increasingly more important to not only to find my voice but be able to communicate in such a way as to be understood.  So as I continue on my journey of discovery and write about life as I see it, I ask that you would, if you are the praying kind, to pray that I will find my voice before the words I need to share all but disappear into a foggy memory, not to be shared.

And if you are so inclined, I would ask that you too share your song using your beautiful voice - whether that be through the written word, a piece of art, a craft, or through the spoken word - because the world needs YOU!

Preparing to crouch on my "thorn",

Petra

P.S.  If you have not heard about the Thornbird, I suggest you Google it or watch the movie. The movie will take much longer but is very good and insightful.