Practices to Strengthen Your Writing Voice

Finding your writing voice can feel like a struggle, but sometimes it’s about uncovering what’s already inside you. That’s why I’m thrilled to share this guest post from Dani Fankhauser, a writing coach and energy healer who helps writers tap into their authentic voice and creativity.

In this article, Dani introduces five energy healing practices that can calm your mind, clear away doubt, and make it easier to write with confidence and flow. If you’ve gone through my courses on oracle cards and vision boards for writers, then you’ll know I’m fascinated by out-of-the-box ways to boost your creativity.  I think you’ll love Dani’s gentle, practical approach. 

***

Writers often think that a unique voice is something that needs to be created, but your most compelling and original voice is already inside of you. The work is in releasing the pressure of criticism so you can write freely—as the real you.

Energy healing is a meditative practice. It helps to balance the nervous system, bringing your mind into clarity and calm that’s ideal for writing. Because it soothes the stress response, I find energy healing to be uniquely beneficial for writers seeking to express themselves authentically.

Even if you’re new to energy healing, it is not new to you. If you’ve ever said you’re energized, drained, or need to recharge, you’re sensing your own energy levels. Many daily activities, from exercise to walking in nature, help shift your energy. As a professional energy healer, I lead sessions for individuals and groups to boost their creative output.

For writers getting started with energy healing, the following are simple practices you can do at home to enhance your creativity and authentic voice.

Chakra Clearing for a Stronger Writing Voice

The ancient mystics of India discovered that the main channel of energy moves up and down the spine, from the tailbone through the crown of the head. Along this central channel are seven energy centers called chakras.

If you feel low energy or are having trouble brainstorming the next step in your writing, then clearing the chakras will help you connect all parts of your intellect and bring your intuition fully online.

To clear the chakras, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then, bring your attention to the physical location of each chakra, take a deep breath in, and on the breath out, imagine you’re dusting off the chakra so it’s gleaming once again. The chakras are: crown (top of head), third eye (center of skull), throat (back of neck), heart (at spine behind heart organ), solar plexus (right under ribs), sacral (low back at sacrum bone), and root (near tailbone). Once you’ve taken a breath at each chakra, take a few more breaths, imagining each breath rising up past all seven chakras on the inhale, and then rinsing out the spine like a pipe on the exhale.

Bubble Visualization to Guard Your Creative Energy

We often accumulate energy from the people around us, which is why being in public places or around people with chaotic emotions can feel tiring. When we’re writing, we can also start to predict how readers will respond to our work, and this projected criticism can slow down the writing process.

To protect your writing energy from the energy of others, you can create energetic boundaries by visualizing a bubble around your body. You can choose any color for the bubble that you want, but I like to use red, because it symbolizes safety. First, on an inhale, imagine the color rising up along your spine to the crown of your head. Then, on the exhale, imagine the color spilling outward like a water fountain, creating a translucent bubble around your body. Once this bubble is established in your mind, imagine other people’s opinions coming at you like rocks, and simply bouncing off the bubble. Then, imagine your ideal readers’ compliments coming to you and the bubble is able to allow them through.

Heart Coherence to Write With Authenticity

While modern culture considers the intellect to reside in the brain, many ancient cultures considered wisdom to be located in the heart. The brain is good at linear and logical tasks, but the heart actually has neurons in it and thinks for itself—albeit more emotionally.

Most writing is nonlinear. To get free of the limitations of the brain and access your full creative power, shift your attention from the brain to the heart. Bringing your focus to your heart brings it into coherence so it can work more effectively.

Close your eyes, and breathe into your heart space to a count of four, then exhale to a count of four. Repeat for about one minute. Then, bring to mind an image that makes you happy. It could be the face of a loved one, or pet, or a favorite place. Keep breathing as you visualize this happy image. Let your heart fill with power.

With greater access to your own emotions, you’ll be able to better capture the depth of your characters.

Intuitive Download Technique for Fresh Writing Ideas

If you feel you’re out of ideas, this energetic practice will help you to welcome some in. Ideas don’t only come by chance; we can choose to be open to inspiration.

Imagine a funnel shape at the top of your head. Then, imagine it spinning and the mouth getting wider and wider. As it opens, visualize light from the stars and sun radiating and rinsing down into this funnel, entering your mind. You can also make specific requests, like an idea for how to deal with a plot hole, or how to end your book.

Humming to Boost Self-Expression

Most writers deal with the written word, but if we trace storytelling back to its origin, it began with oral tradition. The spoken voice and the writing voice are innately connected.

In energetic anatomy, self-expression and the voice are both connected to the throat chakra. If you want to develop your writing voice, clearing the throat chakra will help you write more freely.

Try this humming practice to clear your throat chakra before you write.

Each chakra has a single syllable sound associated with it called a Bija mantra. The Bija mantra for the throat chakra is HAM, pronounced “hum.” To get started, breathe in through your nose. On the exhale, stretch out the sound “hum” for the entire out breath. It will sound very similar to chanting “om” in a yoga class. You can repeat the Bija mantra three times, or even continuously for up to one minute, before beginning your writing practice.