We all hear it, time and time again, from agents and editors and publishers… we want VOICE! But what exactly does that mean? And how can we start to define our own Voice in our writing.
Over the last year I’ve started receiving some great feedback from Editors and Agents, great Voice, wonderful writing style. And yet, I’ve had no full manuscript requests. So I wanted to dig deeper into what wasn’t working in my manuscripts. It turns out, I’d developed the wrong kind of Voice.
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Don’t get me wrong, the industry wants a writers voice and their style to come through, but what they also want, also NEED… is our characters Voice. Both the POV of the Character (their voice), and the writers (Our own voice), need to blend together to create a wonderful voice that draws the reader in.
If your struggling with the concept, or want to improve your own writing, I strongly recommend reading – Voice. The secret power of writing by James Scott Bell. In his bite sized book, he sets writing exercises that help hone and develop Voice. He gives examples of Voice in literature to help the reader understand the many different aspects of voice and how we can cultivate a different style of voice for different genres.
Perhaps it’s easier to develop a characters voice in first person POV, over second person POV, because the writer is filtering everything through the characters perspective. And to make matters more confusing, some novels are written in an omniscient narrator style, where the writers voice carries the story.
The main points that I’ve learnt is when describing a setting, do it through the characters eyes, taking into account their mood, their background, their current goals and their character wounds. I’d been describing them through my POV. What I wanted to convey was a stunning visual world full of hidden emotion. Some characters don’t care what the sunset looks like, or what dress so-and-so is wearing. Oops!
I’ve tried to write my second novel Mischief and Mayhem in deep third person POV, unfortunately, to much of my own voice carries the story. So it’s time for a complete rewrite. I’m on the lookout for new critique partners who understand Close narrator – Third Person POV, and loves fantasy-romance. If you’d like to work with me, please comment below.
Do you have any tips on how to develop your character voice? If so, I’d love to hear all about it. Don’t be shy, we’re all here to learn and develop our craft.
Thanks for stopping by, until next time, Much Love.
