finding your museโs voice
kiingbuiltโ:
this is something that kind of randomly came to me to write. i thought it might be helpful to a few people to share! it took me a little while to learn this, but speech patterns are the most integral part of accurately portraying your character. and if it is an OC, giving them a unique and specific voice is an important factor in making them well rounded and original. here are a few things i have found make the biggest difference in figuring out your museโs speaking patterns. because you might know a character like the back of your hand, but when you go to have them reply to someone it becomes a STRUGGLE. and sometimes their dialogue can come out bland or feel off.ย
first off, itโs an important to remember no one speaks with perfect grammar. itโs a good idea early on to figure out the small nuances of slang and punctuation your muse uses. for example: ย ย ย ย โย that ainโt a problem ย โ ย vs. ย โย that isnโt problem ย โย ย ย ย ย ย โ ย i dunno what youโre talkinโ about. โ ย vs. ย โ ย i donโt know what youโre talking about. ย โ
additionally, does your muse tend to speak in long sentences or short fragments. ย ย ย ย โ ย that ainโt a problem for me or my people. ย โ ย vs. ย โ ย that ainโt a problem for me. or my people. ย โย
secondly, it is important if your character has an accent, or is multilingual ย ( ย and even if not ย ) ย to figure out how they use contractions and how their accent is integrated into their speech. donโt be afraid to write the word the way it sounds coming from them. a lot of people unaccustomed to speaking english, will say things more formally. a big factor is contractions. how and when do they use: canโt, wonโt, donโt, isnโt etc. there is a difference between; ย ย ย ย ย โ ย sorry, i cannot do that. ย โ ย vs. ย โ ย sorry, i canโt do that. ย โ commonly, when someone is speaking more firmly or are trying to make a point, they will drop contractions. ย โ ย i will not allow this. ย โ
the speed and confidence with which someone speaks is also very distinct for each individual. does your muse speak slowly and concisely, or do they tend to speak in rush sentences with a lot of stops and pauses as they try to put their thoughts together? do they have stutters, or words like ย โ uh, um, i think, maybe ย โย etc that they insert? ย ย ย ย ย ย โ ย i, uh, was hoping, maybe, you might come to dinner - or we could do something else, i donโt know, itโs up to you. ย โย ย ย ย ย ย ย โ ย i was hoping you might come to dinner. or we could do something else. itโs up to you. ย โย
when your character asks a question, whether literal or rhetorical, itโs important to know what order they place words in and where the inquisitive structure of the sentence is. ย ย ย ย ย โ ย you got a real gratitude problem, you know that? ย โ ย vs. ย โ ย you know? you got a real gratitude problem. ย โ ย ย ย ย ย ย โ ย do you know where weโre going? ย โ ย ย ย ย ย โ ย where are we going, do you know? ย โ ย ย ย ย ย โ ย where are/whereโre we going? ย โย
something else rather vital to portrayal, is knowing how someone speaks and reacts when they are angry or excited. does your museโs voice get lower or higher in pitch? do they speak more loudly, or just more firmly.ย ย ย ย ย ย โ ย i donโt want your help! ย โ ย she yells. ย vs. ย โ ย i donโt want your help. ย โ ย she mutters.ย
lastly, really just figuring out what sort of phrases and figures of speech someone uses really helps individualize them. as well as what sort of expressions they use if they are more on the sassy and snarky side what words/phrases do they commonly use to compliment? ( ย lovely, beautiful, wonderful, great, amazing etc ). with an OC itโs a good idea to pick a few words and have them use them consistently.ย what phrases do they use to be sarcastic? ย ( ย โ wow. โ ย โ iโm so impressed. โ ย โ yeah. iโm practically shakinโ in my boots. ย โ ย โย sure yaโ did. โ ย etc ) .ย what do they say if they are surprised or donโt know what to say? if they swear, how often, when, and how do they use it. also which words do they use? ย ( ย โ ย oh my god! ย โ ย โ ย oh, god. ย โ ย โ ย holy sโโ! ย โ ย โ ย fโโ! โ ย โ oh, woah. ย โ ย etc. )
there is honestly a lot more i could talk about and break down, but these are just the basic major things that have helped me determine the voice of canon and oc muses alike. also the biggest advice i can give anyone: google synonyms for variety.ย
