How to bring your personality into your writing without losing clarity, flow, or reader respect

If I had a dollar for every time I deleted a perfectly good joke from my writing because I thought it might be “too much,” I’d have enough to buy a decent espresso machine and finally stop pretending I like instant coffee.

Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught that personality in writing is risky. “Don’t be too casual,” they said. “Don’t be too clever,” they warned. “Keep it professional,” they insisted, like the word “professional” means sounding like a generic news anchor reading the news from a teleprompter.

Here’s the truth: Readers don’t want robots. They want you.

But they want the best version of you, the one who doesn’t ramble, who knows how to land a point, who doesn’t trail off mid-sentence and start talking about their cat’s digestive issues (unless that’s the story then, weirdly, it works).

So let’s talk about how to bring your personality into your writing without turning it into unclear metaphors, inside jokes, and confusing tangents.

Let’s sound more like you, just the polished, slightly more articulate version.

Start with a draft that sounds like you

The best way to begin? Write like you talk.

Not like you talk when you're explaining cryptocurrency to your aunt. Write like you talk to your best friend, when you're energized, relaxed, and have no fear of being misunderstood or judged.

Say it out loud first, if it helps.

The first draft is where you let your voice run wild. No editing. No censoring. Just you, on the page.

Then, and this is important, you refine.

Personality is style, not self-indulgence

There’s a fine line between adding personality and turning your article into a therapy session. Or worse, a dumping ground for cheap humour.

Your personality in writing is your tone, your sense of humour, your quirks of language. It’s the way you describe things, the metaphors you reach for, the rhythm of your sentences.

But it should still serve the reader.

When in doubt, ask:
Does this make the point clearer, more memorable, or more enjoyable for the reader?

If yes, keep it.
If not, cut it, even if it’s clever enough to make your inner writer high-five herself in the mirror.

A good metaphor should light up understanding, not cause your reader to stop and Google what you’re referencing.