If you’ve ever attended a writing conference or read a book about how to write, you’ve probably encountered the word voice more times than you can count. But what is voice, and how do you craft strong voice in your writing?
What Is a Writing Voice?
Voice is the distinct way of writing that showcases the author’s individual personality as well as the personality of the book’s narrator. Your narrative voice can be loud, quiet, restrained, over the top, showy, or shy, but whatever personality it takes, your writing should feel as if it could only come from your pen (or keyboard!). The voice of your narrator should also feel individual, and a reader who picks up your book should be able to figure out your character’s personality as much from your writing style as from what you tell us about the character in the body of the book itself.
Here are four categories to think about as you develop voice in your writing:
Tone
Every character, just like every person in the real world, has his or her own unique tone and individual perspective on the world. Is your character sarcastic, matter-of-fact, depressed, or jubilant? Does she see the glass as half empty or half full? Does he go through life with a spring in his step or a sneer on his face? No matter what type of character you’re writing, giving your reader a clear sense of your character’s tone and attitude forms the backbone of strong voice.
Diction
Diction is defined as the words you choose in your writing, and the specific words that your character uses to express himself or herself will greatly affect voice. (You may think of diction as the way people say words, whether they speak clearly, but a second definition is how people use words.) A character who says to a friend, “Don’t be such a Gloomy Gus!” is different from one who says, “Don’t be such a sad sack!”—and both of these characters are different from one who would say, “Don’t be so morose!” It’s important to consider what types of words your characters would use—taking into account slang, abbreviations, and regionalisms—and using different diction for different characters.
Access
Even in the first person close point of view, where we’re inside the narrator’s head, the reader does not often have full access to what the character is thinking and feeling at any given point in the book. Modulating the level of access you give your narrator will help give your book a strong sense of voice. Narrators who tell the reader everything going on in their head will come off more loudly than those who only hint at the emotions they are experiencing.
Sentence and Paragraph Length
When you’re working on voice, take a close look at the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Varying the lengths can go a long way in developing voice. A narrator who thinks in short, clipped sentences and paragraphs will have a voice that is much different from one who thinks in long, rambling sentences and paragraphs. Practice re-paragraphing your work into shorter and longer paragraphs to see how the voice changes.
Voice in Beginning and End
Voice can and should grow or change over the course of the book depending on the plot and character development. If you want to see if you’ve accomplished this, compare the first page with the last page. If the character sounds exactly the same on both pages, it’s a good sign that you need to dive in to revisions to ensure that the voice changes in the same way the character changes over the course of the book. For example, a character who spent the book battling and overcoming her personal demons would most likely shed the quiet, restrained voice of page one and take on a louder, more confident voice by the final page. Your character should stay true to herself, but make sure that the voice you use aligns with the character’s growth.
This piece was written by Kat Brzozowski of Swoon Reads. Have other questions? Swoon Reads is happy to answer them for you! Check out their writing guide and e-mail them any of your pressing questions on writing, the editorial process, or about publishing in general at swoonreads@macmillanusa.com.
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