Having a Voice in Your Writing: What it Means and How to go About it

Wemimo B. Jaiyesimi, Consultant

I remember receiving feedback on one of my class papers from an esteemed professor during my graduate studies in the UK. She appreciated my work and the research I had done but wanted to hear more of my voice, more of my ideas, and more of my critical reflections on the research I was documenting. In another paper I wrote for her, she commented that “my voice came through” – although not in all parts of the paper. However, there was improvement! My advisor here at Baylor has also emphasized voice, pushing me and my colleagues to honor our voices in our writing. I once heard him speak of a scholar friend of his who, as he put it, came to realize readers of his books were interested in reading him. To have a voice in one’s writing comes from the realization that your readers are interested in your writing and not simply how well you have succeeded in cataloging other people’s voices (however authoritative those other voices may be).

Having a voice means effectively communicating in one’s writing a confident sense of the unique contribution(s) that a piece of writing makes to the discursive academic field(s) in which one locates or aspires to locate it. The voice is what grounds the writer’s originality, and being original is a crucial feature of good research writing. To have a voice is to take ownership of the writing as one’s own, to show throughout the piece of writing that one is not simply repeating what has been said. It is not paraphrasing the insights of others, nor is it masterfully referencing the sources employed. I want to suggest the following four practices that can help to hone and maintain voice as we write.

  1. Have a clear thesis statement from the outset. We have all been told how important a strong thesis statement is to a good research paper, article, or essay. Without a clear thesis, the paper lacks a defensible argument. Having a clear thesis, however, is even more crucial when it comes to being able to maintain one’s voice. Why is that? A clear thesis statement helps drive your writing forward, helping organize its various elements, and keeping all of the parts interrelated. Without a clear thesis (which should also be interesting and original), the writing is likely to be jumbled, with no argumentative thread running through it.
  2. Employ quotes sparingly. Employing too many quotes in your writing can cause your voice to be muted. You should only use quotes when necessary. Paraphrasing is better, as it helps translate the words into your own, restating them in your terms. Yet, even in paraphrasing, one is still primarily relaying the ideas of others. To maintain your voice, don’t simply paraphrase, but engage and interact with the paraphrased ideas. Why is the author whom you have quoted important? After quoting or paraphrasing, say something that helps establish to your reader how you understand the connection between the quote and your argument.
  3. Take the evaluative stance. This point is connected to the above point about linking paraphrases and/or quotes to the program of your argument as stated in your thesis. By the evaluative stance, I mean ensuring in your writing that you are not simply reporting ideas, but critically evaluating those ideas, including yours.
  4. Do not feel the need to justify your authority. As new and emerging scholars, graduate students may feel overwhelmed by how little they know about their chosen areas of research. But too often, we underestimate how much we know! While intellectual humility is crucial to good research, you shouldn’t feel afraid to believe in the importance of your ideas to the community of scholars you belong to. Through practice, develop your original insights, and communicate these in a way that doesn’t cede ownership of their originality to authorities.  

Having a voice is important for stamping your authorial identity on your writing. Although it might seem daunting, as with most things in life, it grows with practice and experience. The four points noted above are by no means the only ones that can help, but if practiced, they can go a long way in helping us get a handle on that often-elusive idea of writing in a way that maximally incorporates our voice.

How to Prepare for Your First GWC Consultation

By Jasmine Stovall, Consultant

Picture it: You’ve been working diligently on a writing project for quite some time and have reached a point in your writing process where you think you could benefit from the feedback of a second set of eyes. You make the very wise decision to reach out the GWC to make an appointment for your very first consultation. You login to the online portal, input all the necessary information, and successfully submit your request. Within a couple days’ time, a consultant contacts you and after a brief e-mail exchange, your appointment is officially set.

So… now what?

Well, I’m glad you asked! If the scenario above sounds like an experience you’ve had or are currently having, you’re going to want to keep reading. This blog post is to serve as a guide for preparing for your first GWC consultation. I will talk about things you can do beforehand to prepare, what you can expect during your consultation, and offer some tips that will be helpful in making you your consultant’s favorite client and ultimately result in a successful, productive consultation session.

Let’s begin by discussing some things to do before your consultation:

  1. Be prompt and communicative – The GWC prides itself on our flexibility and short turnaround time. With that being said, we do operate on a first-come-first-served basis. So, essentially, the more prompt you are in your responses, the sooner you and your consultant can plan to meet. Being prompt and communicative from the first contact is an immediate green flag to consultants because it tells us that you are serious about seeking help, that you want actually want to be here, and that you are intentional when it comes to time and planning. Remember, when it comes to longer documents like dissertations or class assignments with known deadlines, you can make an appointment with a consultant as far in advance as you need to receive assistance in enough time to submit your project by the deadline. Of course, we understand that life happens, and grad student schedules can be unpredictable at times, but generally, communicating with your consultant and being respectful of deadlines (i.e., sending the consultant your document within the requested timeframe) will only help you leading up to your consultation and even after.
  2. Don’t be afraid to make your needs known up front – As consultants, our number one priority is to help you become a stronger, more confident writer, but we can’t help you if we don’t know what you need. So, as you are preparing for your consultation, don’t hesitate to communicate any specific needs you may have or anything you’d like us to pay close attention to as we read. Worried about whether your argument is clear and consistent throughout? We can help with that. Need help organizing your thoughts into an outline? We’ve got your back. Struggling with word choice and transitions in your intro? No worries. Or maybe you want us to focus specifically on the organization and sentence structure of your discussion section and only read the remaining sections if time allows? Can do. This allows us as consultants to be more intentional about how we allocate our reading time. When we can focus specifically on your requests, it makes for a more productive meeting overall and ensures that we are meeting your needs to the best of our ability.
  3. Set goals for yourself and for the meeting – This one is self-explanatory. Make some time beforehand to set goals and have an idea of what you hope to accomplish over the course of the meeting. If you have clear expectations for yourself and your consultant, the meeting is generally more productive. 
  4. Provide your consultant with any supplemental materials – In addition to your document, we encourage clients to send us anything else they think might be helpful in understanding the nature of the assignment. Whether it be a rubric, assignment description or instructor feedback, the more information we have regarding the context of your project before we begin reading, the more tailored your feedback will be.

Now that you are well prepared for your consultation, let’s talk about some things you can do during your appointment to get the most out of your session:

  1. Don’t be afraid to take the driver’s seat – While we are here to help you, we also want you to take ownership of your writing and your GWC experience. You are free to lead the meeting to ensure that you get out of it what you want to get out of it.
  2. Keep an open mind and be open to suggestions – As consultants, we are here to serve you and do what we can to provide feedback that will strengthen your paper. However, keep in mind that our suggestions really are just suggestions, not law. That means you can take or leave them, no harm no foul. Even still, I would encourage you to make it a point to at least be open to new ideas and changing the way you think about communicating your ideas and the practice of writing in general.
  3. Be open to both asking and answering questions – Some of the most productive consultations come from discussion and collaboration. While we are your consultant, we are also your peers. Some of my most enjoyable meetings have been a result of me feeling as though I am talking with my client rather than at them.  
  4. Come with questions – Our job as consultants is to not only help you improve the piece of writing for which you are seeking feedback, but also to make you a stronger writer overall. This means your questions do not have to be limited to your project by any means. We welcome broad writing questions as well with hopes that our session will help you write with more confidence for this piece and all those to come.

Here are some final thoughts and additional tips for success in your first consultation:

  1. Don’t feel like your writing has to be perfect or even complete before you meet with us – Part of our job is to help you get to the finish line (or as close to it as possible) at any point in the writing process. The finish line looks different for everyone. For some it may mean going from an outline to full paragraphs, while for others it could mean reviewing a polished article ready to be submitted to a journal for review. Either way, it is perfectly acceptable to seek help with a work in progress as opposed to a finished product.
  2. Remember that vulnerability is a part of the process – Writing is personal. When you think about big writing projects such as dissertations and theses that often are a result of research that has been years in the making, your connection to it goes deeper than just the words on the page, it means something to you. Therefore, it takes a lot of courage to surrender something you’ve put so much of yourself into to a stranger placing yourself at the mercy of their feedback. Keep that in mind as you go into your consultation and remember that while it may not seem like it in the moment, being vulnerable makes for a stronger, better you in the long run.

As with most things in life, showing up is the hardest part, and if you’ve managed to successfully do that then you’re already winning in my book. The same principle applies to your first GWC consultation. Start by showing up. Communicate your needs, set your goals, take ownership, keep an open mind, and let the rest the unfold from there. I hope after reading this you feel equipped with the necessary tools and confident in your abilities to prepare for a stellar first consultation with the GWC.