Brethren and sistren, my fellow writers, greetings. May the grace of the Lord be upon you all.

Now, concerning matters such as writing, I have much to speak to you on today.

If thou art wondering why I write in such a dissimilar style, the answer is . . . voice.

(In the comments, guess which famous author’s writing style I was copying!) 😆

Get ready for some sneak-peek examples from the newest multi-author project, a scene dissection and some fun exercises to try.

And just before we get into it . . . . *drumroll please* . . .  an exciting update! Randy Fishell and Laura Samano are hosting a live virtual session on June 10 at 3 p.m. EST. Come out to meet the editors and participate in an engaging Q&A. Check the Discussion Forum for more details.

Also, congrats to DaughteroftheKing, thecatlover and Lizmunik for showing up in the comment section often, encouraging others and sharing their insightful thoughts! Keep it up, folks!

(And I’ll try to keep my eyes peeled for new spotlights next month!)

So . . . character voice. What is it?

‘Voice’ is the literary term for how a character thinks, speaks, and expresses themself in a story. It’s how their personality shines through the story, hooking readers. Each character can (and should!) have unique ways of expressing themselves in a story.

As you guys have seen, my ‘writing voice’ for these posts has usually been casual, cheerful, and fast-paced. On the other hand, the writing voice I used earlier was much more formal and flowy. Character voice goes beyond just the kind of mood/tone your characters usually lean on. Because of course, your character will go through many events, and their tone and emotions will change. Here’s a list of a few other elements that make up their voice.

• Favourite catchphrases and greetings 

I tend to say “G’day, folks”  and  “Cool!” a lot here. Chris, a high-energy jokester from the brand-new multi-author project, peppers his greetings with “Hey!” and “Ay, yo!”

• Grammar, vocabulary and slang

Cal, the edgy, angsty computer whiz in our project, tends to use sophisticated vocabulary internally.  Words like “undulates,” “contemptuous,” and “terse” make up her everyday vocabulary, making her voice unique and seemingly more mature.

• Accents

This element can be a tough one to include, but you can achieve the idea of an accent by using phrasing and keywords that someone with that particular accent would say. Take Jaimeson Carver, a counselor in our story. With words like “y’all”, “mama”, and “anywho”, I tried to give him a Southern speaking style.  Also, Lickington interspersed a few simple Spanish words and phrases like “¡Hola,” “muy” and “chicos” into his characters’ speech to show their Spanish accent.

• Sentence pacing and speed 

Raven, a clever, sarcastic camper, tends to use short, snappy sentences with lots of dry wit. On the other hand, Telemachus has long, exclamation-filled sentences packed with all-caps and italics to show his chatty personality.

• Perspectives/Mindsets

This is a big one. Our multi-author project is a really great example of this in action. Although all the characters are arriving at the same summer camp and experiencing many of the same events, they each have a unique take on the situation. Some are nervous and concerned about making friends. Some are annoyed/frustrated/angry and would rather have been anywhere else. And some are getting ready for the time of their lives. This shows up in their internal dialogue, the things they notice and describe, their actions and speeches to others. Isaac calls the summer camp a “month-long prison sentence,” and his chapter is both sarcastic and glum. Abigail notices the crowds and noise, contributing to her self-conscious, uncertain voice.  And Canyon feels disconnected and rejected, often lapsing into sombre introspective thought before being startled by some outward action.

If you’re interested in learning more about tools you can use to make a great character voice, check out this Dabble post: https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/finding-a-characters-voice

How does voice work?

Voice stems out of a character’s personality, background and worldview. One of the most important things to do is to make your character’s voice match their backstory and personality. Here’s how to start.

• Take a backstory questionnaire. Jot down a few details about where your character lives (a Canadian character might speak very differently from a South African one), what their home life is like, and what defining events happened in their past. That can help you get a basic idea of what phrases and words they say, and what exaggerations/connections they make. This influences how they speak and act. While one character (like D.K.) might make wild exaggerations, others might have a more terse and understated way of communicating the same idea, and that’s because of their differing backgrounds and values.

• Do a personality quiz on behalf of your character. (The 16personalities one is quite good) The results can give helpful tips on how your character views the world.
• Or, just write a fun scene (like the exercises at the end) where you can test out different voices and find the one that fits your ideas best.

Why is voice important?

Aha! Voice is what glues your plot and description together with the character and makes your character relatable and interesting. Without voice, your story can just sound like a list of events with some random description and dialogue thrown in. That’s more like a play script than a story! I find that weak voice is a problem I often have with my stories. So, for the sake of the craft, let’s dissect one of my ugh weak-voiced scenes and how I tried to improve it in a later draft.

Context: Tara and Theo ( from my super old unfinished series) are thirteen-year-old twins who used to be super close, but lately, as they’re settling into their sixth foster home, a cavern of distance has grown between the siblings.

First up: the old version. Here goes!

Theo. 

I dangled my legs over the deck railing and stuffed another piece of garlic bread into my mouth. “Ahh . . . this is the life,” I mumbled 

“What was that?” Caleb asked, flopping onto a deck chair.

“Nothin’ much. Haven’t seen you around a lot. Busy?”

“Yep. Lots of group projects.” 

Tara wandered onto the deck, cradling a glass of iced tea. I turned away, ignoring the urge to grab her glass, smash it down and demand that she talk to me. 

‘That would make things worse. She’d probably flee to her room. Oh, for the days when we’d have a good ole staring contest. Or even wrestle it out.’

“What’s with you guys?” Caleb asked in a low voice. 

“What do you mean?” I jumped from the railing to the grass. 

He easily vaulted the balustrade. “You and Tara. It’s like you guys spilled gasoline over a woodpile and are just waiting for someone to pull out a match.”

I chuckled. “That bad, huh?”

He nodded.

I shrugged, spotting Sheba coming outside. I waved her over.  “Let’s race to the big tree at the end of the yard!” Without waiting for an answer, I took off across the cool grass.

“Why does everything have to be a competition?” Caleb groaned, before jogging after me. 

Ach. As you can see, it’s all dialogue, and I jump between speakers without much context, making the entire exchange feel shallow and fast-paced. My writing just glosses over Theo’s thoughts and feelings, and doesn’t really let him express his personality. Theo’s dialogue is pretty bland and average without any unique twists, and his thoughts don’t show up much. I really wanted to level up the tension and show how much the strained relationship with his sister is affecting Theo’s normally chill, positive personality. So, last year, I got out my red-ink pen and started editing.

Here’s how it turned out.

Theo.

Tara drifted onto the deck, clutching a glass of iced tea. She stared into the atmosphere, all tense and expressionless, wearing the blank mask she’d perfected after the fourth foster home placement. Meant to give her an advantage against threats. Now used against me. 

I stiffened, imagining stalking over to her, smashing her glass down and yelling,  ‘What’s wrong with you?’ 

That wouldn’t end well, and I knew it. What would I give to have back the days when we’d have a good ole’ staring contest or arm wrestle? 

“What’s with you guys?” Caleb spoke from behind me.

`I stood, yanking a hand through my hair. One rule of mine: avoid showing your cards to a non-ally. “What are you talking about?”

Caleb plopped onto a plump outdoor cushion, jerking his head toward my sister. “You and Tara. It’s like you spilled gasoline over a woodpile and are waiting for someone to pull out a match.”

I chuckled, shoving off the deck railing. “That bad, huh?” Turning, I spied Sheba at the sliding door. “Yo, Sheba!  Let’s race to the big tree at the end of the yard!” 

I didn’t wait for a reply. I hurled myself across the prickly, dew-drenched grass. Behind me, Caleb groaned that I always had to make everything a competition. And why not? Life was a big competition, so why not get a headstart? 

Ahh. Do we see the difference? The top three phrases I would use to describe this edit are: slower pacing, deeper thoughts and more subtle context. One of the first things I did was alter some of the word choice to show the situation through Theo’s eyes. Tara’s now “clutching” her glass instead of “cradling” it,  and staring into the distance tensely. That really gets into Theo’s perspective; it shows the tension he feels between himself and his sister and how that affects how he sees her. I also added some inner thoughts from his perspective using his backstory (his history of living in different foster homes with his sister) and worldview (that life is all about competing).  It shows his beliefs and helps you get a deeper insight into his view. And I even tried to make the description connect to things that Theo notices. He’s an energetic person who also notices small details and is really in tune with his surroundings, and phrases like  “plopped onto a plump outdoor cushion” and “hurled myself across the prickly, dew-drenched grass” show his interaction with the setting.

Now it’s time to connect all the puzzle pieces. So, voice: it’s how your character expresses their personality in the story, especially in what they say, describe and think. Their voice should be based on their backstory, culture and mindset, which will deepen their realism and relatability. And the voice should saturate the whole piece, to hold the story together and make it a story, not a script.

As the HelpingWritersBecome Authors blog says, “A character’s voice isn’t just about how they talk, it’s about how they think, how they see the world, and how that perspective infuses every sentence of the narrative.”

And, that’s all for today, Guidesters! I hope you enjoyed learning about voice. Here’s an exercise you can do to practice.

Exercises

1. Make a mini-dictionary of your (or your character’s) favourite words and phrases
2. Write a journal entry from your character’s perspective (ChatGPT suggested)
3. Rewrite a scene from one of your favourite stories from the perspective of a totally different character (e.g. write Little Red Riding Hood’s story from her grandmother’s viewpoint)

Happy writing, Guidesters!