The Voice to Tell Your Story
I’ve lost my voice. Not the voice I speak with, but the one I use to tell my stories.
I only recently discovered my difficulties with voice when I got a few comments from the members of my critique group and the instructor of the essay writing course I’m taking that pointed out something was missing in my pieces. Because I’ve always thought I had a strong voice, I didn’t think much about it. It turns out, though, that I’ve given up my voice and replaced it with my need to sound like an expert. My essays are becoming no more than a factual recounting of events in my life, with little reflection or humor or with too much pushing and preaching. And so I’ve gone in search of that voice I once loved so much.
About a week ago, I read a post at Writer Unboxed on giving voice to characters that reminded me of what voice can do for a story. In the post, Allison Winn Scotch discusses how voice can be the thing that really brings a character to life and allows the character to better resonate with readers. While her post refers to fiction specifically, I think what she says can easily be applied whether you write novels, memoirs or essays.
In nonfiction, having a clear voice that is consistent throughout a work (and in some cases across works) allows readers to connect with you and understand you at a deeper level. The voice you use in your writing can also contribute to the tone of a piece. For example, if you generally have a humorous voice, your pieces will likely come off as less formal than pieces by someone who has a serious tone.
It is possible, and may be necessary, to alter your voice based on your audience. However, in doing so be careful not to lose some of your natural ability to connect with your readers. Remember, your voice generally comes out of who you are. In the nonfiction world, that usually means that your writing voice occurs naturally when you write the way you speak. This is where my essay writing has started to go wrong. I’ve been writing with a much more formal voice than I use in everyday conversation in hopes of getting some greater message across. But this change in my voice makes my pieces come out all serious and stuffy when I want them to be humorous and heartfelt.
In order to rediscover my voice, I’m experimenting with voice more in my writing. If you’d like to find your voice, you can try this, too.
Practice writing with the same voice you might use to speak with your friends and family. If you’re generally snarky, try letting some of that snark seep into your paragraphs. If you’re the jokester in your group, write a few one-liners into your story. There’s nothing stopping you from being as caustic, comedic or heartfelt in your writing as you are over coffee or at the dinner table. You can always edit later to rein in your voice if it becomes too overwhelming for the piece. But take it from someone who lost track of her voice for a while, it’s much easier to tone down your voice in future drafts than it is to add it back once you’ve completed a piece without it.
The more I write, the more I practice and play with voice, the better I am at recognizing the voice that tells my story best. That voice is the voice I want to nurture.
Posted in luring the muse, writing in general
January 20th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
found your site through twitter. The writers skill I am focusing on this year is developing a stronger voice so I appreciated what you said. I had not thought of losing my voice so will heed that warning. Thanks!
January 20th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Hmmm. I think that because I never went farther than comp II in college I don’t analyze my writing very much?? Probably not even as much as I should. I don’t think I’ve even really thought about the voice and tone of what I write. Unless I’m writing a character and then I try to make sure their speech patterns are set apart from the rest. Now that you brought it up, I think that I do play with voice, trying different things. When I do, I tend to get…a little…oh…over-creative with my punctuation ;)
I’ve tried being funny lately, not sure I can pull that one off! Sorry, I know I’m rambling. Great post!
January 20th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
This is a really good post. I love to read an article where the narrators voice rings clear or a book or a short story where the author lends her voice to the characters, still giving them their own personalities of course.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:09 am
Jean – Glad you found your way here! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Kat – I bet if you read through your stuff you’ll find a similar voice runs through it all. It may not be the only voice you’ve tried, but I tend to believe that our voice comes to us pretty naturally. It’s when we try to hard to bend or shape it that we can lose track of it. Keep experimenting, and then look back and see what voice emerges.
Lindsey – I agree. The best pieces I’ve read all have a strong voice that rings true (either to the author or the character). Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
January 23rd, 2010 at 5:47 pm
I found your blog and bookmarked it — you offer excellent advice. I hope you check out my blog http://wwwsharondenisewrites.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-would-i-do-if-i-were-fearless.html
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