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Understanding and Finding Voice



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Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:08 pm
Emerson says...



Understanding and Finding Voice

Voice in a story is something that makes your writing unique, but most people either don’t have one, don’t know how to make one, or do it all wrong. I critiqued someone’s story once and it was filled with commas everywhere. In the beginning they said, “I was trying to use all the commas to give the narrator a kind of voice. I have comma-happy tendencies and was wondering if his voice came across or if it just looks fuddled with punctuation.” Voice is NOT punctuation, voice is NOT how long or short your sentences are, and voice is NOT how many big, strange, unreadable words can you use per sentence.

So what is it? I’ve read several books and articles about writing and every time they cover voice they tell you what it is and how to find yours. But it’s never worked for me so I doubt it has worked for anyone else. I’ll try to make it as easy as possible to understand.

First, what is voice? You’ll get a lot of different answers to this one. It’s often confused with style, which isn’t far off; personally, I think they are intertwined. If you get right down to it though, voice is what your story sounds like to the reader. Doesn’t make enough sense? Pretend someone is reading your story to the reader. The “Narrator” is the voice. Are they old, with a raspy voice from smoking? Or are they young and use a lot of slang terms that no one would know but they’re clique? That’s voice.

Now for creating one; oh no, please, don’t panic on me! It’s not that difficult. Maybe if I give examples it will help?

Gregor Samsa woke up from a dream one day to find himself turned into an insect. He was lying on his hard back, and when he lifted his head up, he could see his stomach which was divided into segments. The bed spread on top of him couldn’t even stay on because of his bulk and was nearly falling off. He had little legs that waved around and looked strange compared to the rest of him.

For those well read types (like me) we know this is what might be the beginning to Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. But it’s dull: the description is plain and it gives no feelings other than how weird it is that he turned into a bug. Having a voice gives a story new life and can give it a mood that causes readers to go wild. Here’s the real version, see for yourself what voice can do:

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was lying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his dome-lie brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes.

Which one is more attractive to you? The second, I would hope. So, to condense this, voice is a very important thing but a lot of people struggle with it. It has to do with word choice and the way you shape your sentences. A good practice to find your voice: read your work out loud and try to change your voice to what you want your readers to hear; does it make sense? If not, play with the way you word things or the words you use or anything, really. (So long as it’s not punctuation!!!) The only key I can give is: voice is in the words. Or, try to find what you think other author’s voices are. Get out your favorite books and read them out loud. It doesn’t always have to be out loud but at least with your own work, it helps a lot.

And if you can’t find what your voice should be, target in on the age group of readers or the main character. What would they sound like? Once you master voice, you’ll have your readers begging for more. Voice gives you originality, a quality that could make any mundane or cliché subject a best seller!
“It's necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
  





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Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:12 am
Snoink says...



Hehe! Yay! A question!

How are we supposed to write naturally and yet still develop our voices? :P
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:39 am
Emerson says...



Well, who says voice (at least in the begining development of it) can't be edited in later? I guess the way I explain it does make it sound like an uptight writer. But either way, how do you write naturally but freak out because one sentence doesn't sound right? (At least, I do...)

I don't think I understand "naturally" the way you use it. Do you mean with flow?
“It's necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.”
― Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
  





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Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:04 am
Snoink says...



Well, voice is how the writing sounds like, no? So wouldn't concentrating on voice defeat the purpose of your voice shining through? ;)
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:47 am
Myth says...



I use voice all the time, sometimes without realising it and other times I add it in.

A helpful tip by the way. :D
.: ₪ :.

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