One of my favourite movies so far this year is Vengence. There is a scene in the movie in which a writer/podcaster {played by B.J. Novak} asks a music producer {played by Ashton Kutcher} for advice on how to find his storytelling voice.
Ashton Kutcher’s character delivers succinct advice that made B.J. Novak’s character gasp in astonishment and made me pause that scene several times to write it down.
Q: If I came here for advice about my voice, writing, and podcast. What would you tell me?
A: I’d probably say that nobody writes anything. All we do is translate. So if you ever get stuck and don’t know what to say – just listen, even to the silences. Listen as hard as you can to the world around you and repeat back what you hear. That translation is your voice.
