#developing voice

[id: minimalist scetched gif of a green plant growing out of a brown pot. There is a yellow background. On the yellow background are the words “you will grow.” (above potted plant) and “it just takes time” (below potted plant). Words move a little bit, and are written in black/dark brown. /end id]

I've been working on my current WIP for about two years now, which has caused me to reflect a little bit about how far I've come as a writer even just during the writing process of Project Toxin, but also writing in general. One of the biggest things that I've noticed is that as a writer, you have to allow yourself to grow.

(how and why you can grow as a writer below the cut)

Today, we’re talking about character voice: what it is, how to build it, and how to include it in your story.

What is character voice?

Simply put, character voice is what’s associated with the way your character speaks. Think of the pitch of their voice, the articulatory placement of their vowels, any accent they may have, any mannerisms.

Character voice is most commonly associated with the main character or whoever is doing the narration otherwise, and for good reason: this voice should likely be the most developed of all the character voices you’ll work with, because this is the one the audience will be the most exposed to.

How can I build character voice?

Remember that a character swearing one time doesn’t affirm in the reader’s mind that they’ve a colorful vocabulary. However, if you reinforce this concept by having them swear and speak in generally vulgar terms, then your reader will come to associate this with the voice of the character doing the swearing.

Consistency is your friend. One action doesn’t establish a rule in real life, and it shouldn’t in fiction, either. Character voice is mostly built through repeated exposure, as one conversation doesn’t necessarily dictate the way that a character speaks in general.

What can I develop with character voice?

Here’s a list of things you can get started on to give you a stronger sense of your character’s voice:

average pitch.

average volume.

voice placement. (nasal, guttural, etc.)

accent or lack thereof.

mannerisms or commonly used words/phrases.

use of slang.

common filler words.

How can I include character voice in my story?

Simply put: let your characters speak according to their voice. If they’re speaking differently from normal, let that be recognized in your story. If a non-narrator character is speaking, don’t be afraid to occasionally remind the reader what their voice sounds like (when it’s relevant).

Be careful when writing filler words, for example if a character has a habit of overusing “like.” Think of this passage:

“Yeah, like, I don’t think it’s like that important, but I think it should be, like, paid attention to. Like, if it was you, you wouldn’t want to be treated like that, would you? Even though they’re just, like, little kids, like... I feel like they should be treated with, like, respect.”

While the use of “like” builds the reader’s knowledge that this character enjoys filler words, it takes away from comprehension of the passage. If I was editing this section, I would change it to something like this:

“Yeah, I don’t think it’s that important, but I think it should be paid attention to. If it was you, you wouldn’t want to be treated like that, would you? Even though they’re just little kids, I feel like they should be treated with respect.” I take a moment to pick out the words she means to say among the copious “like”s, and it makes total sense.

Or something like that, but better written. The point I’m making here is that you can include character voice and mannerisms without writing them to a tee in actual dialogue. The same goes for writing accents phonetically. If your narrator feels the need to point out these details, then your readers will more likely than not recognize them.

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That’s all I’ve got for character voice today! If you’ve any follow-ups or other questions, my ask box is always open!

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