What Does It Mean to "Write How You Talk"?

All (or most) writers have heard or seen this mantra while doing research - Write how you talk.

It kind of feels different for me when I research writing advice and see this. As a socially anxious introvert, talking is hard. For a lot of people, it's probably nothing.

Social anxiety activates a lack of confidence and a sense of fear during social situations. In his book, It's Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini defined a part of this struggle in a way when describing depression with:

"You see how the words work? They betray your mouth and walk away."

This is exactly how I felt when talking or trying to apply social skills to writing. So I tried to think of the advice differently.

What do you need for a good conversation that you can take into writing?

Confidence, an open mind, focus, and sometimes patience.

To write with confidence is to write in your most authentic voice. This grounds the work in a more realistic perspective and leaves you to be more open and receptive to your own creations.

Write how you talk to yourself. Write how you think and how you feel. Later on, in editing, change it so that you are also speaking to an audience. If there's an audience. But it's so important to stay authentically you.

Your most natural and direct thoughts are more profound than you credit yourself for.

Using this mindset, my writing voice has grasped much more personality than my speaking voice ever could. I'm able to get out of my own head a little, fostering more confidence in my writing which pushes me to improve. Thus, creating a beautiful cycle.

Here's the takeaway

The goal is to see yourself when you look at your work. Like in a conversation, you wouldn't or shouldn't hide yourself to save face. So use the same energy in writing.

"How long has it been since you wrote a story where your real love or real hatred somehow got onto the paper? When was the last time you dared release a cherished prejudice so it slammed the page like a lightning bolt? What are the best things and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?" -Ray Bradbury, Zen in The art of Writing

If you fuse that into your work, you'll be fine.