Monday, February 28, 2011

The Elusive Voice


Don't forget your chance to
win HAUNTED by Joy Preble! Time is running out...

Now:

Look it up online and you will find a million different definitions, explanations, and how to's. We may not know how to define "voice", but we do know how important it is. It's about as difficult to catch hold of as Bigfoot. So how DO we find it and trap it?

Be your character. If you aren't truly in your character's head you will never understand her voice. Many say there are two voices - the author's voice (which I equate to the tone of the manuscript) and the MC's. I believe the two are not mutually exclusive. Your character's voice is altered by the tone, just as you react differently depending on the situation you are in. So I am focusing on Character Voice here.
  • Attitude - You can't just throw a bunch of snark out there and call it attitude. That's not character, sorry. You'll only end up putting your own Big Foot in your mouth. What you need to know is how your MC views the world and how she reacts accordingly. Now if she does that through sarcasm, great! Use it. But only in the WAY she would at the TIME she would. Capiche?
  • Mannerisms - We all have them, though we don't always know about it. What your character DOES speaks volumes. Habits, knee-jerk reactions, etc.
  • Thought processes - Otherwise known as INTERNAL DIALOGUE. What is the character thinking? How does she think? Need an example? Let's take one of my own favorite characters. His head is all over the place. Think "squirrel!" from the movie UP and you pretty much have a handle on him. I love that about him. He's easily distracted. And at the right moments that provides some excellent comic relief. It also makes him vulnerable.
  • Speech - Ahh, dialogue. I love writing dialogue. Some people don't, but I think it really goes hand in hand with character and voice. The way your MC says something is as important as what she says. Who she's speaking to will also alter the dialogue. Do you speak the same to everyone? About everyone? Maybe your character is lacking an internal filter and spews whatever pops into her head. Maybe we see what she's thinking and it's the opposite of what she says. So much can be revealed by her interaction with others. Embrace that as an opportunity, don't fear it.
  • Reactions - Not just the physical, as mentioned above in mannerisms (though that's certainly a part of it). But the emotional reactions too. Yes, your MC should absolutely instigate turning points in the plot. But there will also be those things out of her control, and how she reacts to them says a lot about her.
Okay, I believe I've covered quite a bit. There's always more of course, that's part of the beauty of writing. Let me try to boil this all down for you though...

If you have a strong, dimensional character, their voice will automatically come through. Spend your time on developing the MC fully, not on trying to interject bits of "cleverness" throughout the manuscript. That part will naturally evolve if you have the character down.

Did you catch Bigfoot? Hopefully not in your mouth...

31 comments:

  1. Love it! And it's all so true. I don't think any one topic can be covered in a blog post but you did a good job covering the basics!

    ReplyDelete
  2. All so true. Voice is one of the hardest things to develop, I love your tips. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oooooh, I love this post. I have problems with internal dialogue that stems from some people telling me to add more and others telling me to cut some of it out. So now I'm super paranoid. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are a master at voice, Lisa, so this was naturally a great post! Part of my plotting process includes character worksheets. This helps me nail down parts of the MC and helps me get to know them better. Hopefully it does the trick.

    ReplyDelete
  5. BE your character, I love that. It all really boils down to that. You have such a knack for voice that this is golden advice coming from you! Thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Laura - thanks! I'm sure there could be an entire book on the subject and still not do it justice.

    Renae- So glad you liked it!

    Stina - Remember what I said about taking critiques from others. I'd say (though I'd really have to see it to know) you should decide if the character really "thinks" that much. In my own writing, I find the more internal dialogue usually helps, but I also often have quite action packed/complex plots, so I need to slow it down a bit.

    Julie and Heather - *blushes* awww - thanks guys!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love writing dialogue too. I think it's what really brings our characters to life---letting them interact.

    ReplyDelete
  8. PK - Absolutely! Forcing them to interact with others and deal with situations is what shows us what they are really like.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great post Lisa. When it's forced with cleverness it doesn't always pan out. Will need to ponder this in my own WIP...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yeah, voice is tough to find, but once you've got it, boy it makes all the difference! I like this post a lot because it gives great tips in finding voice. :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lydia - Thanks! I'm sure you're fine, but it's always good to ask those questions..

    IB - I'm so glad it was helpful!! Voice really does make a huge difference.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Such good advice! It's hard to find both your voice and your MC's voice but once you do, the words start to flow!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Jen - Yep, having a handle on the voice makes everything flow easier. Great point!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Voice is something I struggled with at first in my WIP. It's gotten easier as I've written more and gotten to know my MC. It goes to show that it's important to know your characters well!

    I like writing dialogue but don't always remember to show how a character says something. Thanks for the great tips and reminders!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ghenet - every time we write we learn. So those struggles turn into great experiences that make everything easier later on.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Awesome post. You cornered the important points about the illusive voice. My favorite assignment in a college writing class was to write in the voices of different authors. We wrote the same short story in using the voices of Hemingway, Jane Austin, and Steve Martin. After that assignment, I understood voice.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Leslie - that sounds like an AWESOME assignment! I remember having to rewrite the ending to Animal Farm, and my teacher saying I sounded like the author. I didn't get at the time what that meant exactly (other than a nice compliment). Now I know she was referring to voice.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, what a clever way to tie yet another paranormal critter (bigfoot) to great writing advice! Ah... voice... that which cannot be forced

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great points about voice. It IS sooo elusive. And do you have to BE your character. That's the hardest part -- taking "you" out of the character's voice.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Margo - exactly! You can't force it. ;)

    Karen - Maybe it's more of a melding, since your character, no matter how different, always has some part of you since it comes from within.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ha! Big foot. I think we're related based on the fuzzy feet thing. You and Sheri Larson are all about character on your blogs. Love that character and not plot is the focus on two great sites.

    Thanks for the post and the Tuesday morning giggles.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for the great compliment, Lee!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Great Pic! I have found that by the time I finish the first draft, I know the characters better and can add those little quirks I found it hard to invent the first time around

    ReplyDelete
  24. Bekah - glad you found a process that works well for you!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great tips! They're all so true :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Getting to know the characters is crucial to writing them well.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Writing Nut - Thanks!

    Lynda - You have to really get in their heads.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Since I almost always write in first person, my MC is always my narrator, but still, I think my voice shines through in that narration. Thank you for making me think this through today.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Stephanie - I almost always write in first too, it helps me with character voice immensely. I believe our voice come through no matter what, so I don't concentrate on that side as much. Glad the post was helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I just recently tried to rewrite my first chapter in first person and its definitely helping find my voice.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Patti - That helped me a lot too! I think it actually made all the difference in the world at first. Now several manuscripts later, I'm going back and attempting third just to stretch my muscles, but we'll see!

    ReplyDelete