One of the things I did this year for my business was to get feedback on my sales page for Grounded Writers from a copywriter.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a copywriter is someone who writes things like emails and sales pages for other brands/business owners.

The fact that this copywriter’s rates were affordable for me was a big factor in why I chose her, but it was also the fact that she is a writer and I had read some of her posts on Substack and enjoyed them.

She gave me a lot of feedback on how to better frame what Grounded Writers has to offer and the ways in which joining this community can help writers reach their goals.

But there was one comment she said, nestled somewhere about a third of the way into an hour long Loom video, that really struck me.

She said “Obviously you’re a really good writer, but with your sales page, I’d want to see more of your writing style coming in… give your audience a sense of who you are as a writer.”

I paused the video to let what she had just said sink in. Because last year, I had this gnawing feeling that I was losing something about myself. I had felt like I had lost my voice. I was trying to grow this fledgling business, trying to reach more writers and trying to connect more with the writers who signed up to get my emails (which includes you, thank you!).

All this business stuff was (and still feels) new to me, so I started listening to all the business/marketing experts out there about running and growing a business, especially when it comes to email marketing.

One advice that I kept hearing about emails was to keep them short because everyone’s inboxes are flooded. Get out of there as quick as possible, I was taught. And because of it, I started second guessing everything I wrote.

Before, writing emails felt like an extension of my voice. I wasn’t writing a short story or an essay, but I was still writing to connect with readers. But after wading through all the dos and don’ts of online marketing advice, I started to dread writing emails. I would start out writing a draft, realize it was way too long, way too meander-ish, edit ruthlessly, and by the time I hit Send, I just wanted to close my laptop and walk away.

I still sent some longer, less edited emails, but for the most part, they were pared down, simple and direct. They got the job done.

But whenever I would go back and look at my older emails, especially if I wanted to reuse what I had written for Instagram, I found myself cringing a little bit. The emails were meh. They sometimes even sounded boring.

So when the copywriter told me to lean into my own voice, to give readers a sense of who I was, not as an editor, not as a writing coach, not as someone running a business, but as a writer, I felt a little sad. My sales page is at least a 1000 words, if not more. Even in all of those words, my voice didn't seem to exist. Where had it gone?

I started this work because I was a writer but somewhere along the way, I had decided to split my writer-self from my business owner-self. I had dulled my writing and scrubbed it clean of everything that made it sound like me.

After sitting with that feedback and reflecting on it further, I realized that it wasn't a coincidence that I struggled to write last year. I couldn’t just turn off my voice in my everyday writing — emails, social media posts — and then turn it back on in my fiction.

So this year, I’m writing longer, ramblish emails that not only sound more like me but that I enjoy writing as well. I want to look at everything that I write, and say, I had fun writing that. It was time well spent.

I don’t want to hold myself back for the two, four, six, maybe even ten people who will read this and unsubscribe, realizing it isn’t for them anymore.

Instead, I want to write for the person who will read this and think, I too lost my voice somewhere along the way. I too started listening to all the writing teachers and editors and critique partners who told me I had to write a certain way and maybe it did make my stories stronger but it also snuffed out my voice.

I want to write for the person who wants to love their writing too and wants to discover and hone their voice and write what what no one else can write.

If that’s you, thank you for being here. If any of this resonated with you, please hit reply and tell me more.

With best wishes & duas for your writing,

Hajera

Here's how I can support you in your writing:

✍🏽 Learn craft and write stronger stories: Join the waitlist for Grounded Writers, a creative writing community for Muslim women​

📖 Find fiction intimidating and not sure how to go from writing about your life to writing fictional stories? It's easier than you think. Take my Ease Into Fiction course now at 70% off​

📞 Struggling with writing and need guidance from someone who has been where you are now? Book a call with me and get advice that works for you and gets you feeling excited about your writing again​