Sharon ReneVoice
If you’ve been writing for long you know that “voice” is important. I’m sure you’ve heard people say that a certain author “has a great voice.”
But what does voice mean in writing? The author is not going to stand up and blast out an aria.
I guarantee you this writer is not going to burst out in song!
I have a book by James Scott Bell entitled Voice The Secret Power of Great Writing.
I’m going to share a few tips from this book.
James Scott Bell focuses on the CAP method for dynamic voice.
Character background and language filtered through the author’s heart, and rendered with craft on the page = VOICE
- C=Character
- A=Author
- P=Page
When writing a character you must put the voice of the character in your head – not your voice.
How do you discover the character’s voice? I’m glad you asked. Here’s one way.
Dwight V. Swain said you need to come up with a character’s dominant impression.
- Noun of Vocation
- Adjective of manner
Noun = doctor, lawyer, mother, thief
Adjective = sloppy, driven, cocky, sassy
Let me use my book Hesitant Heroes as an example since I know it so well.
The MC, Jordan Scott, is a shy computer programmer. Other things I know about her include the fact that she’s religious, family oriented, and emotional.
You also need to know your character’s:
- Physical Appearance
- Basic Background
Where did the character grow up?
What type of family life
Economics
Education
- Life-altering event at age 16
Of course, if writing YA it will be something traumatic from early childhood.
What was the traumatic event for Jordan in Hesitant Heroes? When she was younger her little brother lost his leg in a pipe bomb attack during a city riot. Jordan had been hiding in the closet with her baby sister.
- What does the character yearn for? Jordan wanted to work with computers and live a peaceful life in a tumultuous world.
You may not need all of this specific information to determine your character’s voice but these things will help.
A great voice is symbiotic.
The author must identify with the character so closely you feel what they feel – think what they think.
Each character should reflect their own attitude. We should be able to tell who the POV character is without any difficulty.
Keeping the character’s attitude and voice in mind helps us to craft a strong scene.
Let me introduce you to another character from Hesitant Heroes.
Hannie Jacobsen is Jordan’s roommate. She was raised by Israeli soldiers. She’s bold and a little cocky. Hannie and Jordan are complete opposites.
DESCRIPTION is a great way to show voice. It gives you the opportunity to reveal more about the character and deepen the emotion of the scene.
For example, in any scene, Jordan and Hannie would notice different things and see the world differently.
Jordan might see a beautiful, handcrafted standing chest and marvel at its value as an antique.
On the other hand, Hannie might think it would make good cover in a firefight.
As you can see, developing a unique voice for each character will make your story stronger and more enjoyable.
Julia N. White
Michelle Kaderly Welsh
Misha
What a great article! So much goes into “voice” – thanks for all the tips and things to consider! One of the best compliments I ever received in a judge critique for a writing contest was, “Your character has a great voice.” I was so thankful for that feedback, as I know this is something that is hard to master.