Why Authenticity is Important for Writers, Julia McCutchen

If you have been following this blog, you will be familiar with the name Julia McCutchen already. She and I share a strong belief in the importance of being authentic when we write. I thank her very much for her guest post, here, below:

Authenticity has become a buzz word over the last few years and increasingly appears in connection with many different aspects of our lives. So why is it important for writers?

Authenticity is one of the best ways for writers to stand out from the crowd and achieve genuine success over the long term as a published author.

In the world of writing and publishing, major changes in technology and retailing are gathering pace. As traditional publishing becomes more challenging, new opportunities are opening up for writers to reach out to readers directly.

As a result, the marketplace is becoming increasingly crowded making it much harder for each individual writer’s voice to be heard.

Yet when you write and speak with your true authentic voice, you stand out from the masses because no one else can express what you have to say quite like you do.

Finding your authentic voice – the original contribution you have to make to the world – is one of your greatest strengths as a writer.

In fact authenticity augments the criteria which have always applied to successful authorship, namely original ideas, powerful writing and charismatic appeal to your audience.

When you combine the real  you, who you are beyond all of the roles you play in life, with your skills and expertise as a writer, you are able to deliver an authentic message and share memorable stories with your readers.

This is the level of conscious creativity which opens the way for you to realise your vision of successful published authorship over the long term.

And this is one of the main reasons why authenticity is the key to success as we enter the new decade where new values are changing the very fabric of our lives.

So how do you discover your authentic voice and apply it to your writing and all activities relating to your authorship?

1. Explore this question: who am I before the writing begins? This may sound like a strange question but it points towards the true source of your authentic voice – the real you, behind all of the roles you play in life. Authenticity is present when the inner you (the real you) is connected to the outer you (the interface you have with the world). When inner truth and outer expression are in alignment, authenticity empowers all that you think, say, do … and write!
2. Write about what authenticity means to you.The standard definition of authenticity is ‘real’. Other synonyms include ‘credible’, ‘genuine’, ‘original’ and ‘true’.These words represent a good starting point and are certainly positive descriptions of powerful writing. Yet writing about your own understanding of authenticity, and including examples of experiences you’ve had where authenticity has made a positive contribution, will bring the subject alive for you.
3. Introduce or renew your commitment to some regular quiet time in your life, ideally every day for at least 15 to 20 minutes. We are living in a world which encourages a 24/7 lifestyle as we strive to check the tasks off the never-ending ‘to do’ list.

We are so engaged in ‘doing’ that we have forgotten how to ‘be’, and perhaps even more importantly, the enormous value of simply being to balance out the doing.

The stillness, silence and space you experience from a period of quiet time each day will nurture your creative soul and open the way for you to access your true authentic voice.To your conscious and creative success!

© Julia McCutchen 2010.
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Julia McCutchen is the founder & creative director of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW). A former managing director & publisher (Element, Random House), Julia has over 20 years’ experience of publishing and a track record that includes UK no 1 and international bestsellers. Julia is passionate about opening the way for people to discover their authentic voice – on the page and in the world. For free articles, audios and videos for writers.

​visit www.juliamccutchen.com. For a FREE Special Report including a 10 Point Action Plan to discover your authentic voice, plus information about the benefits of joining the IACCW writer’s community, visit www.iaccw.com