So, you know how actors can be completely different and yet kind of the same in different roles?
I mean, some actors don’t have a lot of range and seem to be playing the same role over and over again.
You know, “Oh, there’s that guy who’s always playing cops,” or “There’s that woman who’s in three different series playing three different government agency characters.”
I’ve always liked character actors, who you sometimes don’t even recognize from one movie to the next.
Christopher Lloyd is a great example. When I was younger, I was always blown away when I found out he was in another movie I just watched. “Wait, THAT’s the guy who played Doc Brown from Back to the Future?” “Wait, that’s him AGAIN?”
Now I know his voice within three seconds.
Cary Elwes is a less extreme example, but also interesting. He played the charming hero in The Princess Bride. And he played the charming yet slightly annoying recurring villain in the TV show “Psych.”
It’s the same face — a little older, but the same. Same voice. Same charisma. But a completely different set of ethics. And entirely believable either way.
So having range doesn’t mean erasing yourself, even if you’re a chameleon like Christopher Lloyd. It just means honing your talent in a different direction, depending on the role.
Like how writers can change their voice when writing for a client, whether it’s a luxury brand or a grassroots non-profit or a celebrity you’re ghostwriting for.
And then for bylined pieces, we still have that layer of client voice — but also our own voice.
For example, my bylined financial education articles have to fit the brand voice of that financial institution while the quirky Heather Vale voice still shines through.
Writers also change the tone within that voice. A more formal tone for press releases, empathetic for emails, playful for social media.
Part of being able to skillfully be a chameleon as a writer comes from years of practice.
And part of it comes from understanding our Writing Personality Type.
For example, I’m most The Stylist and The Empath. That means I catch the errors other people miss, but I also connect in ways that other people can’t.
With my financial articles, I avoid lecturing the audience and telling them to be “wise” or “smart” or “responsible” with credit because I feel like it’s a condescending posture.
Instead, I use phrases like “strategically manage your credit” so I can put the power back in their hands. I’m constantly pointing this out at work because others fall into the habit of using the words that everyone else does.
But my Empath superpower lets me see things from the reader’s perspective and make different choices.
If you want to see how the types align in you, the first step is discovering your primary Writing Personality Type.
BTW, Rebel is a close third place for me 😊
Write on,
Heather Vale
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