Find your Voice

All of us have different patterns of speech, and choices of words that we use in different situations:  at home, at work, with our children, with our partner, or with strangers.  You may not even think about it when you slip into a different voice - it can just happen subconsciously.

When writing a story, you have even more choices in the voice you adopt; this time it is a conscious   choice.  Voice is not so much what you say as how you say it.  Voice includes aspects of diction, choice of words, cadence, complexity of sentences, rhythm and attitude.  It gives the reader a window into your character's soul.

A writing voice includes:

• accent/dialect/ethnicity  (gives local colour, and is also useful for showing characters from specific regions, ethnic groups)
• attitude(s) (cynical, innocent, curious, hard-hearted, laid-back, rigid, deferential, rebellious)
• type (slang, authorial, informal/formal, precise, verbose, casual)
• old/young/middle-aged
• modern/old-fashioned
• educated/uneducated (range and nature of vocabulary)

If the story is written in the first-person, the voice should be that of the character narrator and this can be a really powerful tool to show us much about this character.  To some extent this is also true for third-person limited POV stories.  In third person omniscient POV there is usually an authorial voice.

Trying to find the right voice for your character(s) may require time and effort.  Do the research.  Observe and listen to  the type of  person your character is based on.  What words to do they use?  What mannerisms do they have?

Like many things in fiction, less is more though.  Don't over-do the voice.  Suggest ethnicity or accent with a few phrases or different word order, but don't ham up the "dialect" otherwise it becomes irritating and difficult to read.

Some authors have a particular voice that can be "heard" in all their works, while others are very adept at changing their voice to suit the requirements of the story.

The message from publishers today is what they are most looking for in new writers is interesting and strong voices.  

Have you got the voice that publishers and readers want to hear?

What makes a really good villain

Stories need conflict, tension, danger.  This usually means opposition, often but not always, in the form of villain characters.

Getting your readers to really detest a character isn't difficult - it is actually easier than getting them to love a character.  If the character does nasty things, the readers will detest them.  However, the best evil characters are not simple collections of terrible deeds.  Show their emotion even if it is malevolent - perhaps they use verbal violence as well as, or instead of, physical violence.  Bullies make good villains.

Some the best villains are not shadowy figures or cardboard cut-outs, although there are examples in genres such as horror and SF.  If the reader develops some insights in the motivation and psychology of the bad character he/she becomes more credible, and therefore more terrifying.

Some of the classic villain types are:

• Sadist/Bully (deliberately sets out to cause mental or physical suffering), 
• Assassin (kills innocent people for selfish reasons), 
• Usurper (claims position/role to which they are not entitled), 
• Superior type/Snob (puts others down), 
• Self-deluded/Crackpot (acts out dangerous beliefs)

Some traits you may wish to consider for your villains:

• Humour (may be warped or cruel, or simply sardonic)
• Self-Importance/egotism
• Cruelty 
• Vanity
• Charm/sophistication (perhaps a thin veneer which later starts to crack...)
• Intelligence (makes the villain more dangerous)

Occasionally the villain can become a partially sympathetic character - they make evoke pity as well as terror.  This can deepen a story.

Bad characters usually end up getting their just deserts by the end of the story; sometimes their character defects lead to their downfall.  Rarely, a villain may be redeemed or else found not to be really bad after all.

Put time and effort into creating the right villain(s) for your story, and watch how they behave.

Help for writers - each week a tip, idea, or topic for discussion

If you want to be a better writer and get further along the line to publication, then visit this blog every week.  You will find tips and discussions about different aspects of writing to help you along.  There may also be a few surprises......

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