5 Characteristics You Need to Grow a Unique Writing Voice
You're irreplaceable—make your writing reflect that simple fact
Publisher’s Note: Vince Mao is one of the most relatable writers I know. His voice is engaging and authentic—you feel like you’re chatting over coffee with him. Vince is a busy 9-5 parent: test engineer for a global circuit component manufacturer by day, a writer and content creator by night, and a round-the-clock kid resort manager (AKA dad). His work draws on a lifetime of experience from academia to the performing arts. Now, here’s Vince.
How do you develop and hone your personal writing voice? To be honest, I’m not sure. But I can share how mine has evolved.
Your voice is not on the side of the road waiting for discovery. It’s something you have to recall as you rummage through painful moments shoved far into the back of your mind.
If you’ll give me five minutes, I’ll share five characteristics that have pushed me to write over 450 articles across three platforms in the past thirty months…and the corresponding lessons that will help you find yours.
After all, that is why you’re reading this, right?
1. Interest in documentation
I started out by writing down things when I was playing video games back in the 90s. Back then, the only way to progress in a game was by looking through strategy guides at the local bookstore or calling the company at exorbitant rates for a hot tip.
I wasn’t old enough to drive or hold down a job (except hawking pool toys at the local flea market on weekends). So I kept a notebook and jotted down every little thing in games like King’s Quest VI and Sam & Max Hit the Road. Observations, maps, stories…I recorded every single one.
Capture every moment and detail for infinite content.
2. A love for performance
Music was among the first disciplines that threw me onto the stage. There was a certain comfort in knowing that once I got up there, there was no (graceful) way off. That, and preparing months in advance through hours of practice, gave me confidence.
Later, I realized it was the same for theater, dance, and martial arts. Memorizing the notes, the lines, the choreography became second nature with time and effort. A lifetime in front of thousands of people taught me that no two performances are ever exactly the same. Not for the performer. Not for the audience.
It’s the same when it comes to writing. Your ideas are yours. Don’t be afraid to repeat them.
3. Passion for introspection
You don’t magically gain the power of self-awareness in one sitting. Building a digital footprint and developing a process takes time…a lot of it. Especially if you’ve been alive for a minute.
For an extravertive introvert like me, it’s been a journey:
I’ve written about identity through mind mining.
I’ve explored the methods of inspiring, educating, and entertaining.
I’ve shared my take on lifelong learning, knowledge theory, and polymathy.
The prismatic process ties them together: a system linking identity to intentional improvement, one iteration at a time.
My voice came from these writings, and it’s still a work in progress. You’re not trying to just “level up” in the craft. Just move in directions you wish to go.
Let your curiosity guide you.
It’s the sustainable approach to any worthy undertaking.
4. Persistence in the face of adversity
I’m one of those types who tend to go down fighting and have earned a lot of nicknames from this tendency:
“Spunky” in karate class
“Grandpa Ninja” in dance team
“The chihuahua” in ultimate frisbee
Naturally, I brought this…feature…writing online:
Short-form on Twitter (2022)
Medium-form newsletter on Beehiiv (2023)
Long-form articles and essays on Medium (2024)
This year, I’m combining all three on Substack.
I’ve seen lots of amazing writers come and go. It’s like watching a meteor shower in the night sky. They burn bright, leave a trail in their wake, but then flame out and disappear. Then, there are those that persist like stars.
I aspire to be the latter. You can’t develop a voice, much less hone it for impact, if you don’t stick around.
5. Awareness of the bigger picture
**“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” — John Donne
The more I write, the more this quote, this first stanza, this entire poem in fact, resonates with me.
School can get in the way of our education in this fashion. You’re forced to write long, templated theses year after year. Sadly, this shunts the most powerful way to shape yourself—before you even hit puberty.
So when it came to the five artistic categories (music, theater, dance, visual art, writing), I avoided this until I turned 40. Now I wish I had started with this one when I was younger.
Writing is the foundation that sustains the others.
Without it, we aren’t connected as intimately and intricately. The fabric of humanity would be less versatile, less vibrant, less diverse. It is a reminder that your voice is unique…but it is not alone.
For the skimmers (my “final” answer)
Here’s how I’ve developed my writing voice:
Documentation - infinite content
Interpretation - say it in different ways
Curiosity - sustained motivation and reflection
Persistence - pushing forward consistently and steadily
Connectivity - contributing my thoughts and ideas to share and help
Your writing voice isn’t just a style for a particular season. It’s your identity blasted onto the page, made into words, and dictated from your gut. It’s threading a needle through memories, mental frameworks, and mysteries. It’s to find meaning for yourself.
Each piece you write is another patch on the quilt of your personal voice.
I use mine to:
bring awareness to our potential as humans
use knowledge and experience to help each other grow
cultivate self-awareness and use it to complement enthusiasm for AI
write with authenticity and integrity, resisting the shortcuts that technology offers.
It’s about establishing a digital footprint, a digital heirloom. One that grows, evolves, and nurtures your personal writing voice…
P.S. Which of these five resonates most strongly with you?
—Vincent Mao, Ph.D.
Each week, Vince offers lessons on small, continuous improvements in self-awareness, identity, and how to turn them into meaningful actions. If that sounds like your thing, subscribe or follow him here for weekly posts or see his Beehiiv newsletter for more frequent ones.
If you’d like to see how Maryan Pelland can enhance your writing endeavors, check here: Pen2Profit website
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I love that this was less of a tips and tactics around writing than it was an elucidation of the underlying context that gives rise to useful communication. Really excellent. Thanks Vince.