Writing Voices

Do you ever read your writing aloud? It’s an easy technique that can help us find our "voices". If you’re writing fiction you are going to want each character to sound unique. They each need to have their own vocabularies, their own idioms. The way they express themselves will give your readers clues as to who they are and where they come from. Reading any dialogue or interior monologue aloud will help you work out if you are being consistent. 

As well as reading aloud, ask yourself some questions about each character. You might think about these as you’re writing; you might think of them when you’re editing; or you may define your characters’ voices before you introduce them. Here are a few questions to help you on your way:

1.    What level of language do they speak? Do they use slang, or perhaps a lot of jargon? Do they use abstract or concrete expressions?

2.    Do they make a lot of references to pop culture, or perhaps to travels they have undertaken? Do they refer to art and literature; are their conversations about watching the football on TV, or playing tennis?

3.     Do they usually use long or short sentences when they speak? Are they complex sentences? Do they use a variety of sentence structures?

4.     How large is the character’s vocabulary? Do they spend their time reading literature, or popular magazines, or both? What kinds of words are they most comfortable with?

Each time you put words into a character’s mouth you are telling your reader more about that character. You need your characters to be believable, so match their language with their background and experience. 

And remember to read your work aloud. It will help you discover if it’s you, the writer, on the page, or if you have succeeded in bringing your characters to life.