"I write as if I was talking. If you just talk away, that's where you're nearest the truth, nearest yourself. I write as if I was telling a story to a friend." --Maeve Binchy

That’s some of the best advice on writing you’ll ever receive. Finding one’s voice as a writer--one’s style and diction, recurring subject matter and themes--can be difficult when one’s starting out, yet Maeve Binchy offers a simple solution: Be yourself, sound like yourself. If you were telling your story to a friend how would it go? Probably you’d find your story has a natural rhythm. You’d use the vocabulary you grew up with: its cadences and idiosyncrasies and slang. You’d mention details you found interesting. Your experiences would provide insight into the motives of your characters. Over time you’d realize you’re emphasizing what’s important to you. And that’s how you find your voice as a writer: by continually being yourself.