Voice Lessons – Part Two

Movie directors and screenwriters have it easier than straight out novelists. (At least I think so and it’s my blog so what I say goes. Pirate.) I think they have it easier than us because they can rely on visuals. Within seconds of the credits rolling and the music starting, the tone of a movie is set. The colors they use, the angles they come from, and the actions of the characters as well as the script all play a part in “setting the scene.”

When you’re a novelist, you only have the words you write. “Only!” I hear some of you wenches gasping. Well, yes, only. Think of all the visual weapons in a screen director’s arsenal. And what do we have? Words.

Yet, I constantly hear from moviegoers, “that wasn’t as good as the book.” How, if a director can make us see everything, can’t they make a movie better than a book?

A good novelist creates something that lives inside someone else’s head. That’s a tall task. When a reader picks up a book, they want to fall into the world that author has created. They want that world, those characters, to live inside their head for the few hours it will take them to reach the end.

So, how do we set that scene? What do we do to make that scene, the setting, the book, alive for that reader? I say it starts with the tone we use and, ultimately, with our voice.

But, what, beyond lots and lots of practice, attributes to our voice?

Yesterday, Sin talked about how we write emotion and I thought that really got at the heart of voice. As I mentioned in the comments (if you haven’t read them, you should, as always the wenches who visit the boat leave brilliant insight) I don’t do dark well. In addition to that, I don’t do a lot of melodrama well. In fact, I would say for the most part, I’m pretty light. But, I don’t think light has to mean light on substance.

So, my WIP is a not dark, non-melodramatic, light but substantial read. In fact, those adjectives tell you nothing concrete about my writing style.

How am I “not dark?” How do I avoid melodrama? What makes me substantial but light?

These questions got me thinking about the specifics of creating voice. Apparently we all have to “find” our voice. How many times do we hear that advice as fledgling authors? Keep writing, I hear, you’ll figure it out, they say. And, I agree. The more I write, the more clarity I have about this.

But, that doesn’t help you. So, today, I want to talk about some of the specifics. How do we create voice? My first example is this: I know that my dialogue is very light because my characters banter. It’s quick and at times silly. My characters twist each other’s words and bicker the way that attorneys do; with a one-up the other goal in mind and practically no malice. When they talk, the tones of their conversation hold the power-struggle I see between defensive parties. It makes for tension, but without the darkness. Or, so I think.

What about you? What specific things do you do that contribute to your voice?

Voice Lessons

When I was pregnant with my son, I listened to a variety of music because I love music and I wanted him to share my passion. Parenting literature claims that if you expose a growing fetus to music they could possess artistic skills later in life. I have to say I am a believer in that philosophy. My son loves music, and all musical instruments. He loves to dance, and sing, and he shows promising musical talent. I’m not claiming to have cultivated a future American Idol, but I’ve provided the microphone, it’s up to him to develop his voice.

As writers, we cultivate things from the world around us to use as tools when we choose to write a story. The type of individuals we are, and sometimes want to be, helps to create our characters. We read books and absorb the style of our favorite authors, and then we decide with our own voice how to tell our story.

I’ve struggled with developing a plot for my WIP that doesn’t appear too clichéd. I don’t want to write a cookie cutter version of something that’s already been done. I learned from a brainstorming session that all plots have been done, but how I make it my own is with my personal writer’s voice. I’ve been too busy trying to formulate the plot for the next Great American Novel to see what has always been a given. We all use the same plot formula, but it’s up to us as writers to make it our own.

Mastering a writer’s voice is the same as a singer mastering their vocal range. It takes practice and a desire to perfect our craft.

Have you ever heard the old proverb The devil makes work for idle hands?

When my hands aren’t writing I find myself procrastinating. The longer I stay away from some form of writing the less confident I become, and the less productive I am when I do sit down to write. I have to think, live, and work like a writer in order to keep my voice.

A plotted outline is an idea; it doesn’t become a story until you breathe life into the words that unfold the plot. We can sketch characters all day, but you never truly do them justice until you bring them to life on the page. All of the pirates here at the ship could take the same plot and characters and write a story, but I guarantee one would not shadow another. It’s because we all possess our own individual voice. It follows the same pattern as the game of truth. I’m sure you played this game as a child. One individual whispers a phrase in the person’s ear beside him and the phrase is passed on down the line until the last person repeats what he just heard. It never matches the beginning phrase, because each individual hears the phrase and makes of it what they want.

Wouldn’t the literary word be dull if we all shared the same voice? Variety is the spice of life, and when it comes to writing for a living, perfecting your individual voice is the greatest investment of all.

Does your writer’s voice shine in characterization, description, plot, or all of the above? Have you discovered anything that improves your writing voice? Does anyone share my sudden urge to Karaoke?