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?
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