Let’s Talk About VOICE in Writing

I consider myself a mediocre writer — somewhere in the sweet spot between excellent and appalling. Whether this is true or not, it definitely affects my voice.

Voice is something more obvious to experienced writers, but can be a foreign subject to newer writers. Think about the schooling you have had and how your teachers taught you to write. Unless they were particularly good teachers, they probably taught you to write in a clear, unimaginative and frankly boring voice. Maybe you’ve noticed that your prose sounds more robotic than lifelike. Mine certainly has in the past and still does when I’m not being careful.

Have you ever wondered why you write so much differently than you speak? That’s because you’re experimenting with voice in writing but not so much in speaking.

This can become a huge problem when writing a story. After all, how can you give your characters a voice if you haven’t found yours yet?

The same concepts apply to all types of writing as well, especially to blogging. When you are blogging, you should consider yourself a storyteller. You are, in a way, crafting a character separate from yourself. Nobody is exactly what they write. Paying attention to voice and character will give your everyday writing much more power.

Crafting a Character’s Voice

Don’t be afraid to borrow from your own personality. You (the author) should always be able to relate to your own characters in some way. If you are writing a villainous character, write about yourself at your lowest. When and why have you done terrible things? If you’re writing a hero, write about yourself in your best moments. Why and when were you brave and noble? This is where the sincerity and honesty of a piece come into play.

The more you put yourself into a story, the more realistic it will feel, particularly in the dialogue. Dialogue is where the voice of your character will shine.

You should also pay attention to class (poor, destitute, rich, royalty, foreign, domestic) when using your character to speak— characters who come from poverty are more likely to use slang. Characters who come from money are more likely to use what I like to call “high-church” language.

I love to see stories where the dialogue is purposefully unclear (Note the use of the word “purposefully”). Humans in real life don’t always understand each other so why should characters in books? Maybe it’s because a character has a thick accent, or uses too much slang, or has food in his/her mouth, but there should always be a healthy dose of misunderstanding in dialogue.

Always Write a Backstory

One thing I think everyone should do is write a backstory for each character that nobody in the world will read but yourself (some writers will be able to keep this backstory unwritten and in their minds to the same effect). This backstory is what you can fall back on whenever you’re wondering how a character might handle any given situation.

The unwritten backstory of each character will help you define voice and give variety to in-text conversations. In my opinion, it is better to leave the backstory out of the actual story itself. Why? Because backstory should slowly be realized in the reader’s mind.

Over time, your character’s backstory will be perceived (by the reader) through hearing character voice. Do they speak with slang? Are they temperamental? Are they patient? Cynical? Hopeful? Faithful? These are questions that must be answered by readers, not by the author. Though your hidden/unwritten backstory will likely be revealed by the attitude of the character, readers should be free to relate to the character as they will.

Applying Voice to the Plot (for Afterworld writers)

Remember that each voice requires a new story. No two characters are the same, so we shouldn’t expect each one to speak similarly. If you’ve read our current book in The Unending Tales, The Afterworld Saga, you’ve likely noticed the distinction between Roy and Tamra.

Our authors Joshua Valdivia, Abby O. Akoto, and Ashley Khue Pham have done a great job at developing the plot and conflict so far. I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters develop in future chapters.

(Future Afterworld writers Si, Joe Rodriguez, Nnubia Ogbuefi, S Lynn Knight, Kevin M. Schenk, and C. Allen Exline)

One thing I would point out though (to both current, future, and past Afterworld writers) is that there isn’t much distinction between Tamra and Leida. This is perhaps because they occupy the same body, but ask yourself this: How much more interesting would the plot be if Tamra and Leida had different goals? Two minds in one body presents the opportunity for some awesome inner conflict (to be resolved later). Which voice is more powerful and which voice controls the body? I would love to see something like this applied in The Afterworld Saga.

Editor’s Note: Josh will be posting another writing tip at a later date. We’d like to invite anyone to share writing pointers with us, whether it’s in the comments or as a separate article. Tell me where you agree and disagree with me. I won’t get mad, I promise.

I had the idea to include a Writing Tips section into The Unending Tales because the publication itself was meant to be a learning experience. I’ve recently spoken to a few new writers who don’t feel up to the challenge of contributing chapters to our books (some people are afraid of messing up the story). Though I won’t pretend to be a “master of writing,” if that’s a thing, I’d like to bring up voice as an important topic and some ideas that I have about it.

Thanks for reading and writing!