Be a Better Writer -- Last lesson on VOICE
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:57 am
Here’s our working definition of voice again:
A writer’s voice is a combination of attributes that make her writing distinctive and recognizable. These may include her use of punctuation, favored sentence formations and syntax, word choice and vocabulary, and use of figurative language. Voice may also include, to some extent, common themes in a writer’s works, and mood (somber, brash, or light, for example). There are other items that make up a writer’s voice, but the end result is, ideally, something that communicates the story (or the content) in a way that is both effective and unique.
I’ve already done a lesson on how punctuation relates to voice—the deafening silence after that lesson tells me that I’m probably missing the mark. So here’s a brief, bulleted list of other things you might consider experimenting with as you work to create your own unique voice:
• Intentional sentence fragments
• Nice long sentences with interesting internal phrases and clauses, perhaps even taking the reader in a separate direction altogether (like that time you got lost driving to Kentycky but it was the prettiest scenery you'd ever seen) that bring the reader back to the original verb with a pleasant ahh.
• Any construction that pleases you, used often enough to become a signature but not so often that your writing becomes predictable. One of my clients used this construction a lot:
o Jan’s eyes open wide, their green-blue irises shining in the flickering candlelight.
It worked very well for her contemporary literary fiction. Similarly, you might have a particular construction that you feel drawn to writing. I tend to do lots of full sentences joined by semicolons; some writers never use semicolons at all.
• Vocabulary that is notched up one level from that of a typical reader. You don’t want to send them to their dictionaries too often, but if you (or your narrator) are particularly erudite, let your voice reflect that.
• Words that are chosen with their connotations in mind. If your piece is somber, dark, or heavy, you’ll use snort instead of giggle. If it’s light and cheerful, you’ll use traipse instead of plod. This is a common error I see in my clients—using words without regard to their connotations.
• Use similes and metaphors in your writing; these can become neon arrows to your readers, pointing to you as the writer.
• Or don’t.
I’m sorry, but that’s all I’ve got. If you have a question about any of those bullet points (each of which could be a lesson on its own), please ask. I think I do better responding to questions that I do developing new material.
[Maybe that’s a new direction this forum could take? Ask Me A Question About Writing, but Not About Grammar Because I Might Not Know.] What do you think?
Zac(h)(?) asked for homework—I can definitely do that. I’m going to give you the bare bones of a situation, and ask you to write it two ways—in two different voices. Let’s keep each to 125 words or less, please (for a total of about 250).
The prompt: Two people who disagree about something. That’s it. You can decide what their relationship is and how serious (or not) the disagreement is. But if you choose, for example, two siblings disagreeing about what they want for lunch…or a married couple disagreeing about the discipline of their child…whatever you choose, write that same situation in two different voices.
Here’s a cool idea—if there are at least 10 people who respond to this post, I’ll draw a name at random and offer that person a free critique of one of their challenge articles (or of something else of a similar length). Those 10 people don’t all have to do the homework, but the response has to be more than just “Hi, I’m responding.” Contribute to the discussion with a thought of your own, give an example of some writer you know who has a distinct voice, ask a thoughtful question—or do the homework.
A writer’s voice is a combination of attributes that make her writing distinctive and recognizable. These may include her use of punctuation, favored sentence formations and syntax, word choice and vocabulary, and use of figurative language. Voice may also include, to some extent, common themes in a writer’s works, and mood (somber, brash, or light, for example). There are other items that make up a writer’s voice, but the end result is, ideally, something that communicates the story (or the content) in a way that is both effective and unique.
I’ve already done a lesson on how punctuation relates to voice—the deafening silence after that lesson tells me that I’m probably missing the mark. So here’s a brief, bulleted list of other things you might consider experimenting with as you work to create your own unique voice:
• Intentional sentence fragments
• Nice long sentences with interesting internal phrases and clauses, perhaps even taking the reader in a separate direction altogether (like that time you got lost driving to Kentycky but it was the prettiest scenery you'd ever seen) that bring the reader back to the original verb with a pleasant ahh.
• Any construction that pleases you, used often enough to become a signature but not so often that your writing becomes predictable. One of my clients used this construction a lot:
o Jan’s eyes open wide, their green-blue irises shining in the flickering candlelight.
It worked very well for her contemporary literary fiction. Similarly, you might have a particular construction that you feel drawn to writing. I tend to do lots of full sentences joined by semicolons; some writers never use semicolons at all.
• Vocabulary that is notched up one level from that of a typical reader. You don’t want to send them to their dictionaries too often, but if you (or your narrator) are particularly erudite, let your voice reflect that.
• Words that are chosen with their connotations in mind. If your piece is somber, dark, or heavy, you’ll use snort instead of giggle. If it’s light and cheerful, you’ll use traipse instead of plod. This is a common error I see in my clients—using words without regard to their connotations.
• Use similes and metaphors in your writing; these can become neon arrows to your readers, pointing to you as the writer.
• Or don’t.
I’m sorry, but that’s all I’ve got. If you have a question about any of those bullet points (each of which could be a lesson on its own), please ask. I think I do better responding to questions that I do developing new material.
[Maybe that’s a new direction this forum could take? Ask Me A Question About Writing, but Not About Grammar Because I Might Not Know.] What do you think?
Zac(h)(?) asked for homework—I can definitely do that. I’m going to give you the bare bones of a situation, and ask you to write it two ways—in two different voices. Let’s keep each to 125 words or less, please (for a total of about 250).
The prompt: Two people who disagree about something. That’s it. You can decide what their relationship is and how serious (or not) the disagreement is. But if you choose, for example, two siblings disagreeing about what they want for lunch…or a married couple disagreeing about the discipline of their child…whatever you choose, write that same situation in two different voices.
Here’s a cool idea—if there are at least 10 people who respond to this post, I’ll draw a name at random and offer that person a free critique of one of their challenge articles (or of something else of a similar length). Those 10 people don’t all have to do the homework, but the response has to be more than just “Hi, I’m responding.” Contribute to the discussion with a thought of your own, give an example of some writer you know who has a distinct voice, ask a thoughtful question—or do the homework.