“Your own voice is one that seeks a personal truth, one that only you can obtain,” says Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club.
“The truth comes from your own experience, your own observations, and, when you find it, if it really is true and specific to you, you may be surprised that others find it to be true as well. In searching for your own voice, be aware of the difference between emulation and imitation, inspiration and intimidation.”
That’s Tan’s advice for good writing and for thinking about life, she explained in a commencement address at Simmons College. Tan included an edited version of the speech in her book The Opposite of Fate—A Book of Musings.