How I Found My Voice in the Shadows
Finding your voice as a writer can feel like a journey through shadows, seeking the light that only you can bring to the page. For me, that voice has always been there, lingering just beneath the surface, waiting to be heard. It wasn’t something I consciously discovered but something I nurtured through the stories that shaped me.
My journey began with Edgar Allan Poe. I was just a child when I first read The Tell-Tale Heart, and though I didn’t fully understand it then, the story stayed with me. The way Poe described the old man’s kind nature, contrasted with the narrator’s unraveling sanity, was haunting. The maddening sound of the heartbeat, even after the man’s death, echoed in my mind for years. As a child, I couldn’t grasp that Poe was describing anxiety and guilt. But as an adult, I resonate with it deeply. That ceaseless, imaginary heartbeat taught me how emotions can shape a story and how fear, guilt, and madness can live beyond the words on the page.
Poe opened the door, and through it, I found Stephen King. His story Carrie struck a chord with me. I saw myself in Carrie White the quiet desperation, the longing to be understood, the weight of feeling unheard. King showed me that madness doesn’t always stem from insanity; sometimes, it’s the result of a world that refuses to listen. Through Carrie, I learned that even the most broken characters have a voice, and their stories matter. This realization became a cornerstone of my writing: to give a voice to those who feel silenced, to show that even in the darkest corners, there is truth worth sharing.
These authors didn’t just inspire me, they made me feel safe. In their stories, I found a refuge, a place where I could explore my own thoughts and emotions without fear. I saw how they used words to create worlds where pain, beauty, and darkness intertwined. I wanted to do the same. I wanted to build places where readers could hear my voice and understand it, just as I had heard and understood theirs.
Writing became my way of stepping into the shadows, not to hide but to illuminate. Every story I write is a reflection of that journey of finding strength in vulnerability, beauty in darkness, and power in the voices of the unheard. My writing blends the gothic and the haunting, drawing from the wells of Poe and King, but it also carries something uniquely mine: a longing to connect, to inspire, and to show others that their voices, too, can rise from the shadows.
Finding your voice isn’t always about discovery. Sometimes, it’s about remembering. It’s about the echoes of the stories you’ve loved, the lessons they’ve taught you, and the truths they’ve revealed. For me, my voice was always there, shaped by the authors who gave me permission to speak. And now, through my writing, I hope to do the same for others.
What stories have shaped your voice? I’d love to hear about the authors or tales that inspired you to find your place in the shadows
