Ron Davis, senior producer at KSPR and longtime writer, discovered early on the tool that could set his work apart: a writing voice.

That voice has been well-recognized: He was a nine-time best of Gannett winner and was twice named Gannett’s best writer.

So how do you find your voice as a writer? Well, let Ron Davis tell you.

1. Write with purpose

“If you care about something, you’re going to come at it and really feel it,” Davis says. Without purpose, you’re taking the risk of speaking a voice other than your own. The Creative Penn concurs: “Authenticity is one of your greatest strengths.”

2. Find the right pitch

“You don’t need to try to hit all the high notes at once when you’ve got the voice,” Davis says. It’s easy to try too hard and overdo a piece of writing. However, short and simple sentences are needed to give the writing rhythm.

Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) suggests that adding sentence variation to the piece will ultimately make your voice stronger as a writer.

3. And don’t change it

“It takes me about 3o minutes to write a piece,” Davis explains. While it’s important to check for grammatical errors, overediting is second-guessing, and second-guessing is questioning your voice, he adds.

“You have to be fearless and not look back.”

4. Share your voice

This is one of the hardest steps of the voice-finding process, Davis says. “Trust your voice and your sense of self,” he encourages.

5. And sing again

Want to really find your voice as a writer? Search for it by writing consistently, Davis says.

Davis has written thousands of pieces over the course of his career. How many does he like? Six.

According to the Reader’s Digest, “To set your voice free, set your words free.” Write with your voice, and don’t worry about it not being perfect.