There's a lot to be said for being able to write articles on a regular basis. They require a healthy imagination to prevent burning out. But the best articles require a writer with (not delicate, closer to flexible) wrists. A writer who can weave in a unique style of voice and tone into their work. It's easy enough to do if you're confident in your writing, but to do it steadily, constantly, regularly – that requires a healthy stockpile of patience and sanity.

As you've probably noticed by now, I write on a regular basis. Although not articles per se, my almost daily blog posts keep me at the keyboard more often than I would normally like. Between my tendinitis, general inability to sit in one position for more than ten minutes without fidgeting, and having to constantly clean my reading glasses (spontaneously appearing smudges give me headaches), I have a lot of explanations as to why I shouldn't be writing so much. And yet here I am, another day, another post.

And, utilizing my degenerating wrists, I try to work in my own style of literary voice. Whether it's through parentheticals, excessive usage of commas, or just ridiculous tangents, I try to make the writing my own. What good would it be to write an article that anyone else could?

If any writer could just vomit out the same article onto paper, then magazines and newspapers wouldn't need to hire so many different writers. One writer would be as good as any other. No differentiation, like an army of Agent Smiths...with a deadline, and hopefully not an article on how humanity is best served as batteries for cybernetic life. Each writer needs to find his or her personal style of literary voice. And then train his or her wrists to bring that voice to life.

My voice has evolved through excessive demands for literary essays while in college, resulting in a defiant stance of "I may take writing seriously, but that doesn't mean I have to write seriously." So, a lot of my writing was, and still is, tinged with sarcastic flair and a penchant for tangents that try to remain semi-topical but don't always. I've done my best to hold onto that style as I happen to enjoy writing it, and hopefully you happen to enjoy reading it. (If you don't, well...*tosses a confused looking woodchuck at you and runs away*)

It's up to you to find and hone your own style. If necessary, slant your style to fit within the structure and guidelines of wherever you're submitting to. Try and search out magazines and outlets that will mesh well with your style. Otherwise you'll get all cranky when the editor starts marking up your work beyond grammar and punctuation. If your preferred style and tone really clashes with the publication, their guidelines win 9.9 times out of 10. So be prepared for concessions and negotiations.

What particular writing styles, tones, and voices do you enjoy utilizing? How long did it take you to build that voice, getting your intonations and inflections just the way you wanted them? Or, are you still building a voice of your own, testing the literary waters to see what flows best?