Finding Your Voice.

3 Ways to Position Your Expertise in Your Writing

Hi, I'm Steph Ritz and this 3-part puzzle reveals my #1 quick start tip on how to position yourself as an expert in your writing.

Each of the 3 puzzle pieces reveal your life's stories in ways you might not have voiced them previously. When doing these idea shaping puzzles myself, I’ve seen things I never dreamed existed within me. And my writing has grown both professionally and personally because of dedicating time to examining and developing my own voice.

These puzzle pieces are for you to meditate on, brainstorm around, and use as writing prompts.

Part 1: Shape Your Ideas.

The typical journey of an entrepreneur is one where you work hard doing something you love with people you love. And when you take a break, loose confidence, or don't follow your passion and purpose, your true gifts pool up behind you like you've put a cork in a waterfall until...

Until the pressure is too much to contain the current and you go flying off the edge and find yourself clinging to the waterfall's ledge - grasping onto what was, and terrified to drop into the unknown watery depths below.

Just like the waterfall, your ideas are meant to flow into the hands of others.

What’s little in your eyes may be awe inspiring to someone else. If you don’t brag (the truth) who will? When you really look at how you can make a difference, opportunities will magically appear.

People are paying for the experience YOU provide. Share your successes, losses, and lessons learned with transparent honesty. You have to show the real you. If you don’t, no one ever will understand your unique perspective. No one has your background. No one can bring your unique personality to the table.

Stop corking your waterfall of ideas and let it flow my friend! Trust where you're heading and dive deep into the wealth of what you have to offer. Follow the current of your unique purpose.

Take some time to ask yourself questions until you get to the heart of your passions.

• Who were you when you were your own hero?

• When did you rescue yourself?

• Who were you before the world told you who to be?

• Who were you three, five, even 10 years ago and how can you go rescue that person?

Consider your 10 hero stories, examine the puzzle pieces that make you uniquely and authentically you.

Part 2: Organize Your Actions.

Getting your message across begins by communicating clearly developed ideas. Your ideas are the heart of your message – and your voice is how you share your heart with the world. Have you ever said, “Who me?” when someone shared that your words inspired them?

A recent client said to me, "I felt naked, like you could see right through me. You saw everything I thought I was hiding from the world - you took my heart and turned it into words."

Who, me? Apparently. And when I look from her perspective, I can totally see why she described our work in such endearing terms. One of the biggest struggles when talking about yourself is getting comfortable using terms that accurately describe what you’ve done and what you’re doing in a way that makes sense to your community.

How you share your hero story should enrich and develop your main idea. It’s important to start small and, when the small things start adding up, consider how they led you forward on the gigantic steps you’ve taken.

With a specific idea in mind, you can be clear and concise while sharing a deeper understanding of your passionate journey to where you are today. Often your journey parallels what your ideal clients have been walking.

•Who is your community/tribe/audience?

•What do they already know?

•What do you want them to know?

•Do you share enough details to convey you know their needs?

•What details can you add to be able to meet their expectations?

•Why is your idea interesting?

•Why is your message important?

•Do your words communicate your passion?

•Is your idea easy to understand?

Sit with these 9 questions and see what shape your puzzle begins to take.

Part 3: Voice Your Passions.

There are many ways to bring an idea to life within real-life situations. There are obvious ways to make an impression and there are subtle ways to show depth. Stories serve as a way to ground your ideas – they help your reader connect your message to their prior knowledge.

Share your emotions to breathe life into your message. In every culture, emotions are the same. Love, hate, frustration, compassion… they’re all universal emotions. Let us feel what you felt, let us experience what you experienced, let us yearn to grow - just as you have done.

Who we are and what we've experienced influences how we learn. No one sees quite what you see when you’re sharing your expertise. What does the reader need to know without previously having heard of you– what do they need in order to understand your unique perspective?

So what is it about the way you share your experiences that draws people into your story?

Knowing how to find your voice is essential to being a successful writer. No matter what you’re writing, you have bits of your personality that seep into your writing, and they strengthen the unique perspective you bring when you voice your passions.

•When did you listen, learn, and grow?

•How did you make someone’s life a bit better?

•Why did you move forward?

•Did you move forward realistically & positively?

•What did you appreciate in the journey?

Listen for the rhythms of your unique perspective that arise naturally when your ideas flow in alignment with your passions.

So the #1 quick start tip? Find your voice. It's a sure way to position yourself as an expert in your writing.

That’s all for now. Good luck sorting through your puzzle pieces. I look forward to working with you soon!