Write Like I Talk

Every author has a particular style, or voice, and it can make or break an author’s popularity.  Someone might write killer plotlines and characters, but if their style isn’t appealing, it won’t matter.  I know there are several authors out there that, at first, I liked their story but didn’t like their style.  Fortunately, at least in one case, it really grew on me and now I gobble up anything she releases.

I used to worry about my “voice.”  I used to worry that people wouldn’t like it, or that it was too generic, or not generic enough…and any number of other things.  But I don’t anymore.

I write like I talk.  It’s who and how I am.  Okay, actually I use more made up words in real life than I do in my fiction, but for the most part, it’s how I speak.  I’m not ashamed of that, or worried anymore, because it’s true to who I am and how I think.  That’s really the piece of me that’s in everything I write.

What about you?  How does an author’s “voice” effect your enjoyment of the story?