I have always been fascinated with the
idea of voice in writing -- how one finds his or her own voice in non-fiction,
but also how one develops various voices in fiction.
It’s a rare college freshman who has a
voice, and it is a joy to find one midst all the academic writing I read. In
fact, many of the students at the developmental level have no sense of audience
yet and have not written enough to have developed a voice, and I usually have
to spend so much time on audience that I rarely have a chance to discuss voice.
On the rare occasions I have students who are developing their own voices, I point
out what makes the writing uniquely theirs and praise them for being
themselves.
Recently, I read a how-to book for
fiction writers on voice and found it lacking in direction. The book is filled with excellent quotations
from various authors who have clearly established a voice, but the book was no
real help on how I could develop such powerful voices. It seemed as if the
author of the book was saying what I often hear my fellow college professors
say about voice: “I know it when I read it.” These same professors are quite
vague when asked how to teach voice.
Most advice on the Internet on finding
one’s own voice basically emphasizes the need to read and write a lot as if
given enough time, one will discover one’s own voice. But I don’t just want my
own voice, I want to create a variety of voices that convey the characters’
souls.
More specific advice is available on the
Internet on how to develop a character’s voice by focusing on the style of
language, mannerisms, and dialect. In one of my searches on voice, I found the
best description of voice by a writer named Kat who says, “Voice is the lens
through which the reader sees the story.” That lens is created through the
author’s word choices, which serves as a reminder that every word matters.
Of course, when one considers voice, one
has to consider point of view. Perhaps the easiest to write is first person,
but it limits what can be revealed about the other characters. Third person
allows for more creativity and perspectives. However, whenever I imagine
writing in third person, I remember reading Hawthorne with his morals and
lessons from his authorial third person point of view. I’m afraid my inner
Hawthorne will creep into my writing when I attempt third person narratives. Fear
aside, I must tackle this point of view.
I guess practice will give me control
over the narrative and produce more compelling voices. Maybe time and practice
are after all the most important ingredients in developing voice.
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