Voice is one of the most difficult writing terms to define and pinpoint. We might know it when we see it, but what’s voice made of, really?
You hear so often that agents and editors want “new voices” and “compelling voices” and voice voice voice. So what is voice? How do you cultivate it? And how many rhetorical questions do you think can I fit into one post?
Voice, at its most basic level, is the sensibility with which an author writes. It’s a perspective, an outlook on the world, a personality and style that is recognizable even out of context. You could drop randomly into a David Sedaris story or an Ernest Hemingway novel and probably guess the author within a few paragraphs because they have strong, unique voices.
An author’s voice is often imitated (think: Tolkien), but a truly original voice can never be duplicated.
So what makes a good voice? How do you cultivate one?
Among the essential elements:
Style
At its heart, voice is about style. And not just style in the sense of punctuation and how the prose looks on the page (though that can play a role), but style in the sense of a flow, a rhythm, a cadence to the writing, a vocabulary, lexicon, and slang the author is drawing upon.
A voice can be wordy (William Faulkner) or it can be spare (Cormac McCarthy). It can be stylish and magical (Jeanette Winterson) or it can be wry and gritty (Elmore Leonard). It can be tied to unique locations (Toni Morrison) or it can be almost wholly invented (Anthony Burgess). But whatever the flavor of the writing, a good voice has a recognizable style.
Personality
A good voice has a personality of its own, even when the novel is written in third person. There’s an outlook that is expressed in a voice. It’s a unique way of seeing the world and choosing which details to focus on and highlight and a first draft of how the reader will process the reality of the book. Think of how Catch-22 captured the absurdity of WW-II by boiling down irrational rules and presenting them at face value, or Stephen Colbert’s TV character, always seeing things and arguing from an invented perspective.
There’s a tone to a good voice, whether it’s magical (J.K. Rowling) or slightly sinister (Roald Dahl) or hyper-aware (John Green).
Consistency
A good voice is consistent throughout a novel. It may get darker or lighter or funnier or sadder, but it doesn’t suddenly shift wildly from whimsical to GRUESOME MURDER. (Unless, of course, the voice is capable of it). A good voice is never lost when the plot shifts.
Moderation
Even the strongest voices don’t over-do it. Voices are not made up of repeated verbal tics (“You know,” “like,” “so I mean,” “I was all,” etc.) but are much more nuanced than that. They are not transcribed real-life dialogue, they give the impression of a real-life voice while remaining a unique construct.
Transportation
A good voice envelops the reader within the world of a book. It puts us in a certain frame of mind and lets us see the world through someone else’s perspective, and provides not just the details of that world but also gives a sense of the character of the world. Basically: see J.K. Rowling.
Authority
From Bryan Russell (aka Ink) (full comment below): “For me, one of the absolutely key elements of voice is authority. With a great voice you know the writer is in control, so in control that the writer vanishes and you see only the story… A great voice carries you through the story, compels you through the story. I think all great voices have that… There’s a sureness to a great voice. The words are simply right and the rhythms of the prose are buoyant. You won’t sink, not with these voices.”
Originality
Above all, a good voice is unique and can’t be duplicated. It is also extremely contagious. And this is the hardest thing about starting off a novel: we have thousands of authors’ voices swimming around our heads, many of them quite powerful, and they are only too happy to take up residence in our current Work in Progress. But that’s okay! Don’t sweat it if it doesn’t come right away: We all have to find our voice, and one of the best ways to do that is to just write, even if what you’re starting with is derivative. You may need to keep writing until you find the voice. Just remember to revise revise revise the opening in said voice once you have it.
Authenticity
And this is the key to finding the voice: your voice is in you. It’s not you per se, but it’s made up of bits and pieces of you. It may be the expression of your sense of humor or your whimsy or your cynicism or frustration or hopes or honesty, distilled down or dialed up into a voice. We should never make the mistake as readers of equating an author with their voice, but they’re wrapped up together in a complicated and real way. We leave fingerprints all over our work. That part of you in your work is what makes it something that no one else can duplicate.
What do you think? What do you think makes for a good voice, and what are some of your favorites?
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Art: The Singer in Pink by Jean-Louis Forain
Oh, one last thought on authority – I think it's a key element when we come to something new, when we decide to keep reading or not. It's like in the query/pages experiment we just had, I think readers could often sense that authority. And they could sense when the writing was pretty good but not quite there… and that not quite there is that lacking authority, that sense that they can't quite force you to believe. You can't quite see past the words on the page yet.
I think my aha moment for finding my own voice came when I realized that I was telling a story, not just a sequence of events.
I would have to say that some of my favorite voices out there are in works by C.S. Lewis, Mark Twain, and Terry Goodkind. Though they are all exceedingly different from each other, they immerse the reader so completely in the story that it's hard to distinguish reality from fiction anymore.
This is an excellent post on voice. I'm glad to see an industry insider blogging about the actual mechanics of good writing instead of sales and self-promotion.
But I have a question for you: What happens when the author has a strong, established voice and, instead of writing in third person, s/he begins to write in first. How do you compromise between a character's voice and that of the writer? Because sometimes, I feel I'm dueling with the narrative–would this character really use those words? Etc. Or am I thinking too much about this?
Thoughts?
I love Ink's comment about confidence and authority being the central elements of voice.
I wasn't sure why my recent foray into craft improvement resulted in a more defined voice, but there it is: more control, more mastery of the language and the storytelling, more voice. Because they are one and the same.
Yes, Ink–confidence and authority. Exactly.
I always wonder about authors who use several pen names, and whether or not they have different voices for each pen name.
It may very well just be me, but I think sometimes "voice" can backfire, depending on how different (or not) the plots of any one author's novels are.
For instance, I think John Grisham has a great, recognizable voice but I've only read three books of his, because the plots are so similar — young, eager bright-eyed attorney up against corrupt system/opposing counsel — that when you combine that same-ness of voice to the same-ness of plot, I feel I'm reading the same book over and over.
Whereas I never feel that way with someone like Chabon, because his books subjects and plot are very dissimilar, and the although his voice is still a standout, the needs of the books' diverse characters and plots make it feel much fresher.
"It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while." Was, Frank McCourt successfully used the passive voice to give the reader a sense of who he is, his tone, his world view, and why you want to read his story. He not only successfully used the passive voice, he used it to create the hook for his memoir, Angela's Ashes. That is the gift of a true story teller.
Have Vonnegut and Twain really only been mentioned once a piece so far? I just puked in my mouth a little.
What a great post and I've enjoyed reading all the comments. I kind of came in through the side door as far as writing as I started out as a fine artist and I was lucky to find my art "voice" right off the bat. I felt the same way when I began writing picture books in the (gasp!) early 1990's.
Back then my writing voice was reviewed negatively as being "sparse". Now my pared-down style is in vogue.
Not complaining – just saying.
Great post.
Using the same word more than once on a page interferes with voice. Unless intentionally done for style.
Even my choices of: he said, said Michael (or forgoing the tag altogether)impact rhythm and can make or break a scene.
Seamless prose is my goal.
Nathan, you are the man for sure,
however, you can no more "teach" voice than you can teach soul … if you are tone deaf, it's one of nature's little jokes on you.
Voice is simply the muse, from the muse comes music and poetry and your voice follows … be it harsh horror or soft prose … no one can "teach" this part of our craft dear Nathan. It is one of the little gifts we come in with.
Nathan, you outdid yourself. With clarity and precision, as if you were talking directly to me, you gathered all the components of VOICE and delivered it to me succinctly.
Thanks.
This post has voice. One of the best treatises I've read on the subject, too.
I'd like to add Balance to the list.
Balance: A writer with strong voice knows the rules and when to break them. Read the greats and you will find adverbs, passive voice, telling instead of showing, and instances of all the other inviolable rules. They are there, they are used. The balance is to use but not abuse; to break rules with purpose.
WORD VERIFICATION: morip. 1) An additional copy of digital media, e.g. a CD, that has been burned illegally. 2) An extended afterlife.
Ink: "Call me Ishmael." YES! I LOVED that book! I loaned it to everybody I knew when I had finished reading it.
What you said about authority really resonates with me. I think some of my issues with voice stem from the simple fact that I have not yet reached that stage as a writer in which I can step back from my own work enough to see whether it is "there" or "not quite there" – whether I've made you believe my story, or not quite. I still need my critique group for that. (Do we ever get past that stage of needing a critique group for that?)
Thanks again for this great post, and for the enlightening and stimulating discussion. I'm inspired to write tonight.
Terrific post and discussion! My favorite masters of voice: Alice Hoffman and Daniel Pinkwater. Few similarities in their writing, but both of them nail the voice so well, all you can do is nod your head at the rightness of it.
A quality of voice I include, taking a firm position, related somewhat to Ink's authority quality. A powerful voice takes a stand, makes a credible point, and substantiates it creatively. The stand taken makes a meaningful statement with a thematically potent message.
This was great! Thanks for this Nathan!!!
I'm still working on figuring out my voice, but if I ever needed a reminder of why it's important, I found it after reading Where The Truth Lies. One of the best *voice* lessons I've ever had.
Such a great explanation for something that is very difficult to explain. I especially like this part under Authenticity: "And this is the key to finding the voice: your voice is in you. It's not you per se, but it's made up of bits and pieces of you. It may be the expression of your sense of humor or your whimsy or your cynicism or frustration or hopes or honesty, distilled down or dialed up into a voice. We should never make the mistake as readers of equating an author with their voice, but they're wrapped up together in a complicated and real way."
I also love Inkās comment: "For me, one of the absolutely key elements of voice is authority. With a great voice you know the writer is in control, so in control that the writer vanishes and you see only the story. A great voice carries you through the story, compells you through the story."
Voice is what distinguishes one writer from another, and authority allows fictional stories to ring true.
Enjoyed this post very much, but have little to add to it. My favorite voices are Ernest Hemingway, Franz Kafka and Jack Kerouac.
I feel that my own voice comes through better when I'm unaware of it.
Argh! So I finished typing my comment and apparently it didn't post…..
I love your explanation of voice, Nathan. I've been thinking about the subject for the last two weeks or so.
I tend to indulge myself in thinking my voice is somewhat distinctive, but when I'm dealing with multiple characters, I forget to nuance for each character. On the re-reads, they all sound too much alike. (One of the reasons I write so much first-person poetry!)
So, I'm half-way there. But the writer's journey never ends, so I won't complain.
P.S. My favorite voices are Joseph Heller (the comedic), Ayn Rand (the philosophical), and Billy Collins (the candid).
Most excellent post. One of my favorite children's Lit voices is E. Nesbit (The Five Children and It, etc)I love a voice with warm good humor that does not talk down to children.
My fellow critique group member Lupe Fernandez is developing a truly funny readable voice on our mutual blog Pen and Ink. Here is one of his posts https://thepenandinkblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/customer-support.html
I can think of one girl's book where the voice stands out so much and she really sounds like she is telling the story to a friend. She is so engaging. I can't wait for her next book.
If a writer cannot find his/her voice and grasp it firmly, there is nothing to keep me interested. The authors who've captivated me are:
Stephen King- His earlier works. He is fabulous at invoking a sense of innocence, wonder and growth when children are his characters, and has perfected their"voices".
I also loved the cadence of George R.R. Martin in the "song of ice and fire" series.
Robin Hobb, Tim Dorsey, Marrion Zimmer Bradley…the list goes on, (and is long) but they are all very different voices, liked for very different reasons.
I think there just needs to be a natural ebb and flow to a character that gives the reader the feeling that this could be someone they admire/would hang out with/are scared of, etc. In essence, the voice comes across as REAL. If you can capture that, you will find a rapt audience begging for more.
I agree with the part about overuse of everyday language. My 5th and 6th grade students like to write stories with, "I'm all" this and "He's all" that and so on. They might talk like that in real life, but in a story it's just plain impossible to slog through.
Or maybe the reality is just at this very minute hitting me that these kids have NOTHING to talk about except a bunch of "totally," "SO not!", "Tru Dat," "Fo shiz" etc. That's their whold day's speech! ARGHHH! Oh no!
This must be one of your all time top ten posts Nathan, thank you for this!
I believe 'voice' is where most writers-to-be fail. We tend to get muddled in technique and plot and all the other basic elements of writing, and in the process manage to 'lose control' of the flow of writing, burying the 'voice'. I believe that understanding the importance of 'voice' is the key to compelling writing.
From my experience, it takes a lot of practice to identify and take charge of one's 'voice'. Lots of rewriting, reshuffling of the scenes and viewing the characters from a different perspective. I am quite pleased to have 'found' mine recently. Whether it's a voice that might be appreciated by others, remains to be seen, but it's good to know that it has 'arrived'.
The one voice I am currently obsessed with is Cormac McCarthy's. I worship The Road.
My all time favorite voice has got to be that of the late Robert A. Heinlein. As an aspiring novelist, I don't precisely try to imitate Heinlein, but his voice certainly informs my development of my own voice.
Recently, I've been going to the librar yand reading all of the Spenser novels from the late Robert Parker – a writer I only heard of when he recently passed away. OMG does that man have a voice!
-Steve
I'm still in the process of finding my voice. Your article as quite informative and helpful. Thank you.
I think Ink has quite the voice. I recognise Ink's individual tone on every blog we happen to hit together…
Which brings me to my next point. When it comes to voice, I always describe it thusly; if you can give a piece of writing to someone without telling them who wrote it, and they can identify the author, then that is voice shining through.
Fantastic post, Nathan! Contagious, yes. How many times have a started the day sounding an awful lot like Willa Cather or Stephen King or whatever I'm reading at the time? (And those two are pretty hard to reconcile!)
Totally awesome post Nathan. Will definitely post on Inkwell.ning.com. I love how you organized your thoughts and presented them clearly. Have a super day….
One word: WOW!
Fabulous post! A compelling voice is one of the most important things for me as a reader ā maybe the most important ā and I take every available opportunity to work on my own as a writer.
I'm revising my novel, sure, but I also get creative at work with writing business newsletters and copy for catalogs and product packaging. I'm able to fall pretty easily into a sales voice, an editorial voice and a storytelling voice.
The first thing I look for is whether or not a voice rings true; overly self-conscious intellectualization or affectation will turn me off.
As always, a great and informative article. I've struggled with voice in the past, and sometimes still do. This was a very enlightening breakdown. Thank you!
I think voice is like peeling an onion. It's not so much something you create as something you just uncover and allow to "be."
I think a lot of "finding one's voice" is really more about blocking out everybody else's voice and stopping trying to sound like anybody but you.
Voice is how you uniquely express yourself. If you're "trying" to create voice, you're trying to be somebody besides yourself.
Being you should be something that comes naturally to you. Your voice should be something that comes naturally too. It may not feel natural if you've spent a lot of time trying to be someone else or write like someone else.
You may think that "being someone else" would be "more marketable" but it will lack authenticity. You can't be JK Rowling. That position is already taken by JK Rowling, etc. But you can be you. And that's probably just as cool. (Though statistically speaking probably won't make you as much money, but meh.)
So, so happy for this post because this is what I'm working on now: finding my voice. I'm trying on different skins.
Voice, to me, as I'm understanding it at this point in my learning process, and of which you conveyed so well here, is the tone and the personality and the flow of the words. A voice can be urgent, it can be kind, it can be spare, it can be dense, it can be harsh, it can be sarcastic, it can be chatty, it can be sincere, it can be lovable, it can be innocent, it can be jaded, it can be…anything. But it has to feel real. AND IT HAS TO BE YOURS.
The voice is a way to connect with the reader. It's a way to pull him in, wrap your hands around his shoulder, pat him on the back, and say, "Relax. I've got you. Sit back. Drink a cup of tea. I'm going to pull you in but you're going to be just fine…"
Man, I'm so struggling with this right now…
This was a great piece. Thank you. It really helped me figure out where I need to concentrate on developing my own voice. My most recent favorite is Sara Gruen. Of course, my all time favorite is JK Rowling.
Ahhh. I'd just about convinced myself that voice can't really come through if I'm writing a plot-driven novel. I thought it was only in character-driven novels that it made a difference. I assumed genre dictated style (quick paced, short, direct sentences = thriller), and that I chillax re: voice. Guess not.
Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books are some of the best examples of voice in the business. While much of his technique has grown and developed over the years, Jim's voice has been from the beginning strong, authoritative, and consistent.
I found my voice and its still changing, because I change all the time.
this was a great technical breakdown of 'voice' in writing, its still a bit hard to pin down but you'll know it when you read it
Great post, however I don't think voice is something a writer should be prescriptive about. I think it's something that develops naturally as you develop as a writer. Voice is like human personality. Every writer has one, sometimes it's just covered by immaturity, insecurity, or lies.
Clarity, honesty, and confidence are what I think bring out a strong voice. And like a personality, if you try too hard or think about it too much, you just come off as phony and sometimes annoying.
Favorites when it comes to voice are Shannon Hale, Sharon Creech, M.T. Anderson, J.K. Rowling, and Roald Dahl. But they got everything else going for them too, and that's why I think they have such unique voices.
Amazing post! There's a lot to think about here. Now? To keep my focus and trudge forward in the voice I've always felt I owned. š
Like Steve, my favorite is Robert Heinlein. I read "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" when I was about ten and never looked back.
My trouble is that my critique group often says my writing sounds too much like Chuck. Isn't it supposed to? Oh well, I don't worry too much about it and just keep on writing.
Great Post!
WV: sucto ????
There's that term "hyper-aware" again. I assumed it was a negative, but now it seems that's not always the case. Maybe my confusion stems from not even being sure what the term means.
I recognize a voice at play in your blog posts, Nathan. Nicely done and surprisingly complex, although it reads as if it is simply natural expression.
The best of voice is sometimes when you don't as a reader seem to notice it at all. Only a confident and highly skilled magic pulls that off in fiction.
Fabulous insight on author's voice. I like the thought of opening up a book randomly and simply recognizing the author through his or her voice. Makes me think of my own writing. I will pay special attention to voice from now on. Thanks!
I like this post, and your analysis of voice. It's hard to capture and I think you did a really good job breaking it down – thank you.
I also like Ink's addition – authority, very true! – and many of the commentors said great stuff – I like what Rick D had to say, and what Lisa said:
"The voice is a way to connect with the reader. It's a way to pull him in, wrap your hands around his shoulder, pat him on the back, and say, "Relax. I've got you. Sit back. Drink a cup of tea. I'm going to pull you in but you're going to be just fine…"
That's really nice.
For me, finding my voice was very much like learning to ride a bicycle. When I was a kid learning to ride, I got worried I'd never figure it out. Then one day, it clicked. 'Okay, this is the way to balance so it stays upright.' Voice for me was like that – it clicked. 'Okay, this is where I come through most clearly. This rings true.'
So, I think the best way for someone to find their voice, if they haven't, is to just keep writing. It will emerge evenutally. Just be patient.
I'm not sure, but it may also help to get to know yourself. The more you are in touch with who you are, I think the more easily your voice can flow out.
If you want a perfect example of 'voice'…listen to a voice!
Watch/listen to Hugh Laurie on 'House' and then watch him on a talk show…he comes across as an entirely different person…as if he carries a piece of America inside him, rather than 'affect it' like an accent (which of course it is).
The 'voice' of the House character…his authority, his personality, his 'being', is carried perfectly in his physical voice.
My answer would be Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. There may be something about the translations, but their voices are distinct and influence my own writing.