On Writing: Voice

[TheLobster]

I've considered trying to write a 1P with no internal monologue. I think it would almost exclusively be a reporting of events, but done in a way to keep the voice intact by the use of words and structure. Maybe with a couple one-word things, like emotion:

Congratulations, you have just invented emoji.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Congratulations, you have just invented emoji.

 

[HeyAll]

Haven’t read it, but, is there any sense that the narrator is an in-universe character who doesn’t appear “onscreen,” so to speak? Rather than an omniscient out-of-universe storyteller telling a fiction they can’t be in (because it’s fiction.)

Omiscient narrator which sometimes explains character's thoughts, tailored to their personality, the style even shifts when the main focus is a child for a few brief chapters.

 

[SmilingLez]

A distinct internal monolog is a great way to give characters unique voices.

I realize some people don't have an internal monolog. That could be a writing exercise right there...

I attempt to create unique characters with distinct voices in all of my stories, but I know that is an area I can definitely improve.

My vignette Fragments - First Love is an internal monologue of what is going on, not only in the MC's head, but also in her body. There is minimal conversation between the MC and her LI

 

[PennyThompson]

Unless I'm writing in First, I think I usually end up defaulting to a Third-Person voice that Stacnash once described as "the smartest kid in the class who’s trying to pop their friends," which is mean but not entirely unwarranted

But when it comes to voice, I think I'm most proud of the Dandelion Greene stories where the protagonist is largely self-educated via her town library, but learned that speaking with too many big words was liable to get her bullied by her peers or punished by her elders.

So she narrates in a (mostly) proper early 20th Century literate style, but speaks very casually and coloquially, maybe even hamming it up a little when she doesn't want to let on how smart she actually is.

I don't know how objectively successful I've been at that dichotomy, but it's a both a challenge and a joy to write in that style

 

[ElectricBlue]

I don't know how objectively successful I've been at that dichotomy, but it's a both a challenge and a joy to write in that style

Your Dandelion Greene character is outstanding, quite delightful .

 

[AG31]

Huh. I contributed to this thread but apparently forgot to "watch" it.

Do any of you folks happen to have opinions about John Grisham's narrative voice? Can you describe it? I think it's one of those voices that fades into the background so you're not aware of it.

 

[txblush]

Maybe not quiet what you had in mind, but adjacent…(and only 3,300 words)

https://www.literotica.com/s/signifying-nothing

OMG! I haven't laughed that hard in ages! I loved your story!

 

[EmilyMiller]

OMG! I haven't laughed that hard in ages! I loved your story!

Thank you

 

[txblush]

Thank you

You're most welcome.

 

[redgarters]

with a sarcastic David Attenborough-esque narrator

Now I NEED sarcastic David Attenborough. Narrating anything, really (perhaps something with polar bears?). Just...gimme!

I have problems with voice. I fear all my FMC's sound the same, especially when I've tried jumping between characters to tell a story from two sides, both in 1stp. My latest story is 3rdp with two main characters, and I still think they sound too similar. This is one of the reasons I am tempted to add in phrases from other languages as part of their background, to make them more distinctive.

Funnily enough I have an easier time writing side characters in different voices, with hints of accents. I hear them better for some reason.

 

[SimonDoom]

Huh. I contributed to this thread but apparently forgot to "watch" it.

Do any of you folks happen to have opinions about John Grisham's narrative voice? Can you describe it? I think it's one of those voices that fades into the background so you're not aware of it.

It's been a long time since I've read one of his books, but that's not my recollection of his voice. As I recall one is well aware of his biases and attitudes while reading his books. I think of him as an author/narrator who wears his heart on his sleeve. He typically writes in the third person, shifting from one POV to another as different scenes require, but he doesn't wholly immerse his narrative voice into the POV character. Admittedly, though, it's been a while, so my memory for details is sketchy.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I have problems with voice. I fear all my FMC's sound the same, especially when I've tried jumping between characters to tell a story from two sides, both in 1stp. My latest story is 3rdp with two main characters, and I still think they sound too similar. This is one of the reasons I am tempted to add in phrases from other languages as part of their background, to make them more distinctive.

Funnily enough I have an easier time writing side characters in different voices, with hints of accents. I hear them better for some reason.

Do you also have this problem with dialogue, or is it just narrative? If you're able to use distinctive voices for dialogue, you can do the same for narrative. First person is great for this, because the word set you're using is the same word set that you use for their dialogue. It forces you into stylistic choices based not on, "Oh, pretty big word," but, "Okay, but does my high-school dropout really know what 'perspicacious' means?" It also forces your sentence structure and speech mannerisms to bubble up in the narrative.

Third-person example:

Bob stood and inspected the room with a querulous glance. He was somewhat acquainted with some of those in attendence, but had never felt himself at ease among high society, having barely managed to scrape through high school.

First-person example:

I stood up and peeked around. I kinda knew some of these people, but I didn't much like being around fancy folks. They had degrees and shit. I barely finished high school.

Less eloquent speech patterns and word choices in first, given his background and circumstances. It's an extreme example, but it illustrates fitting narrative voice to character.

Note:

• "Stood" vs "stood up."
• Complexity of sentence structures: "stood and inspected with," He was..., but had never..., having barely" vs. "stood and peeked," "I kinda knew..., but..."
• Absence of things like: "Querulous, acquantined, attendence, at ease, scrape through."
• And one of my personal favorites, cursing! "and shit."

I love cursing in first person POV. The choice of someone's curse words can say a lot about who they are. While all word choice does that to an extent, curse words are incredibly coded with many layers of meaning, based on who is saying them, how they're being said, and the specific words chosen.

Now, if you also struggle with dialogue, that's a different story. This is one of those things where people watching is fantastic, but not always an easy thing to do these days. Instead, next time you're reading a story or watching a show or movie, pay attention to the speaking mannerisms of the characters. How does it relate to their character? What word choices, sentence complexities, and rhythms do they have, and how does it reflect on their character or add depth/provide insight into their character? It takes time to start picking these things apart, but just start with how someone's dialogue made you think or feel about that character. What emotions did it evoke, how did it color that character for you? Keep track of their speech mannerisms throughout the work and really focus on the patterns that emerge.