Drilling Down on Voice

In a recent blog, I wrote about Voice. Your writer’s voice. The feel, soul, and sound of you that comes across in your words and storytelling. Several of our former creative writing course attendees have sent me different reactions. So, in honour of those comments, I’m going to drill down on Voice because there seems to be a bit of confusion. To make Voice clearer, I’ve gathered more explanations from across the web.

Here is an internet round-up of descriptions and clarifications on Voice.

From Super Summary

Voice: is the opinion or attitude authors express in their writing, an aspect of literature that better connects the reader to the material. It’s also an element of the narrator’s perspective, or what they bring to the piece based on their background, opinions, culture, and life experience. Essentially, voice is the personality of a piece of writing.

Voice comes from the Latin term vocem, which means “utterance or call.” Even though voice is usually meant to describe verbal communication, its literary usage describes the emulation of speech in writing.

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From The Writing Cooperative

What is the writer’s voice?

First, I’ll tell you what it isn’t:

It’s not the writer’s writing style;
It’s not their technique;
It’s not their brand.

The writer’s voice isn’t something you can measure; it’s subjective. But possible to be defined and identified.

The writer’s voice doesn’t include only wording, grammar or structure: it’s much more than that. It’s the personal way the writer sees the world, how s/he translates it.
We all see a pineapple the same way, however, when describing it, each one of us will use our own approach and perspective. I can describe its colour, you, its texture, others its taste,…
The writer’s voice carries their experiences and personality.

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From Jericho Writers

 What Is ‘Voice’ In Writing?

‘Voice’ refers to the author’s writing style, or authorial voice. It is the stylistic imprint, or signature style, that authors leave on the page. An authorial voice should have an instantly recognisable quality, or personality, and remain present throughout the novel. It’s what will captivate your readers and hook an agent.

Why Do Literary Agents Care So Much About Voice?

Just imagine you were an agent looking through your slushpile – maybe 2,000 manuscripts through the course of a year.
Many of those manuscripts will be perfectly fine. Competent thrillers. Decent rom-coms. Accessible literary fiction with interesting themes.
But their ‘perfectly OK-ness’ is the problem. Why would an agent prefer Competent Thriller A to Competent Thriller B? What would force an editor to buy one over the other?

In many cases, the answer is ‘nothing much.’ And that’s where voice comes in. If you, as a debut author, can stride into the agent’s consciousness sounding like nothing else in his/her slushpile – sounding like yourself and no one else – you force the agent to pay you attention.
And in the course the editor.
And in due course the reader.
And that’s why voice matters. That’s why voice is golden.

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From NY Book Editors

Depending on who you ask, writer’s voice can be:

A. Your style of writing
B. Your perspective
C. Your tone in writing
D. All of the above

I prefer to go with the inclusive answer: D.

Your writer’s voice is all of the above. Here’s how it breaks down:

YOUR STYLE OF WRITING

Writing style is all about the mechanics of your storytelling. From word choice to sentence structure, your style is how you choose to tell a story.

Over time, your natural style will develop. No one that I know of is born with a signature style of writing. As you read various works of literature, you’ll be influenced by the style of other writers. You’ll pick up bits and pieces along the way that will eventually define your unique style of writing.

It’s akin to your handwriting.

You may write in short, curt sentences or prefer sweeping, poetic ones. You may soak your writing is descriptive adjectives, or take a more minimalistic approach.

Whatever style you choose, it will eventually become your hallmark.

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If you’d like to share any comments or thoughts, I’d be happy to hear from you. Email me directly at lisacliffordwriter@gmail.com