Can a viewer hear your voice?

In fiction writing, voice is that special something that makes one writer distinctive from another. I could probably take a page from a Stephen King book and read it aloud to a bunch of people, not telling them who wrote it, and anyone who had read King would be able to identify it. His style, the way he uses words and strings them together, the "attitude" of his writing; those things make up his "voice."

While you need a good speaking voice to be a successful anchor or reporter, letting your "voice" come through in your copy can make you distinctive as well. If someone in your newsroom took one of your scripts and read it, not knowing who wrote it, would that person be able to tell you were the writer?

This blog has a "voice" and if you're a regular visitor you could probably pick it out from the dozens of television blogs just from my sarcasm alone.

This might sound confusing as it applies to news, so let me give you an example. Let's take a passage that you might write on an average news day:

"The council passed a resolution that will result in a five percent increase in garbage fees. This means you'll be paying twenty-one dollars instead of twenty."

Okay, pretty basic, right? Anyone from Journalism 101 could have written that, and there's nothing wrong with it. Except it has no personality.

No voice.

Now let's give that information some punch, a little kick that let's you know the reporter is a real person who understands that any increase is unwelcome in this economy:

"You may as well throw a dollar bill in your trash each week, because that's how much more it's going to cost you when you toss your garbage. City council members, who risked being kicked to the curb themselves in the next election, voted unanimously for a five percent increase."

See, that's got the Grape's brand of sarcasm in it. My own unique view of the world (and the soulless politicians who run it) came through in just two sentences.

Take some of your scripts home with you on your days off and read them aloud. Do they have your "voice" or do they sound as though anyone in your newsroom could have written them?

These days you really have to stand out to move up the ladder. Put yourself into your copy and the way you deliver it. Make your voice as distinctive as your personality.