How do you want to come across to your audience? Do you want them to think of you as a wise-cracking smartass with a big mouth, like a radio talk show host? Do you want them to think of you as powerful and reverent, like a preacher giving a sermon? Do you want to sound soft and gentle, like a grandmother reading a bedtime story to her grandchildren? Do you want to sound condemnatory, like a judge pronouncing sentence on someone convicted of a heinous crime? Do you want to sound lively and funny, like a stand-up comic on stage? Do you want to sound victorious, like a political candidate giving an acceptance speech on election night? Do you want to sound neutral and factual, like a reporter? Do you want to sound quietly terrifying, like a wife getting ready to present newly discovered evidence of her husband’s extramarital affair as he walks in the door with roses in hand?

When your readers read what you have to read, they’re going to hear a voice in their heads. You can’t directly control what voice they hear, of course, but it’s good to give some thought to this topic. Keep in mind that your choice of words may impact the voice that your reader hears. In most cases, readers default to their own voices. They’ll picture themselves reading your writing out loud. In order to break away from this default, you’ll need to give them something else to picture. This is easy in fiction; you can simply describe the character and the character’s voice.

If you’re writing non-fiction, think about who’s likely to be reading it. Think about the kind of person that this person is likely to respect the most. For example, if you’re writing a political opinion piece targeted to Republicans, imagine the words coming from Rush Limbaugh. If you’re writing a computer software article to disgruntled Windows users who wish they had Macs, picture Bill Gates reading the article. I could name examples all day, but here’s my point: decide what reaction you want from your readers. Pick someone who would easily be able to get that reaction, and picture that person reading your writing aloud as if they’d written it. Would it sound authentic? If not, consider that your voice needs work.

Finally, try reading your article out loud yourself. Does it sound right? Do you stop and struggle with any pronunciations? Do you get tongue-tied? If so, consider rewording. As with anything else, if you’re unsure, ask. Ask someone in your target audience to read it and tell you what the voice sounds like.

The voice is not to be ignored.