by Maria Geraci

As I write this, I have no idea who will be the winner of the new NBC show The Voice. I will say, that I have thoroughly enjoyed the show and really like all four of the finalists. But hands down for me, my favorite has been Dia Frampton, the beautiful, shy, folksy indie singer-songwriter who never fails to blow me away each week.

Dia doesn’t have the most powerful voice on the show. Or the biggest. But for me, it’s the voice I’ve most connected to. And that translates into the voice I’d most likely buy an album from. And as a matter of fact, I’ve already bought one of her songs. If you haven’t heard her rendition of Kanye West’s Heartless, run to go hear it. It’s absolutely fabulous.

I also love the fact that Dia wears flats on the show (sorry, Stiletto Gang!) She’s not a heels kind of girl. She’s not overly glamorous. She’s just her and that shines through in her music. And just like musicians and any other artists, as writers, we too, have to let ourselves be who we are. We have to let our voices shine.

Voice is often defined as that unique quality that you and only you alone possess. It’s your style. Your signature. It’s what makes readers connect to you. It’s your view of the world and how you present yourself to others. No one can teach you “voice.” It’s developed through frequent writing and letting one’s guard down. Stripping yourself of pride and ego and all the walls we put up to hide ourselves from others. Letting your voice shine through is scary. But we owe it to our readers and to ourselves to give them the very best of us. The real us.

FYI: Today, I’ll be over at Romance Divas (a free website for romance writers) doing a workshop called “Picking up your Sagging Middle.” I’m dissecting the novel The Hunger Games to figure out what made it such a page turner. The workshop is being held in the forums section of the website under Workshops and Conferences- NGTCC (Not Going to Conference Conference). Best part? It’s free!