But the comment came from someone who was reading an erotic novella of mine that I thought was a little bit on the edgier side, seeing as it contained some really hot sex and a climactic (pardon the pun) ménage scene at the end.
So I started thinking about my voice and how it fits in with what I’m writing, who is the best publisher for what I’m writing and whether or not I would want to or could even change my voice.
I went looking for definitions of “voice”. And here’s what I discovered.
I consider Barbara Samuel one of the premiere writers of voice as well as an excellent teacher. Every time I’ve ever heard her speak in a workshop I’ve learned something new. And one of these days, I’m going to scrape the money together and experience her voice class at The Girls in the Basement. I love the description she gives for the class –
“…to understand the elements that make her own voice unique… Are you a funny ethnic writers with a thread of poignance? A serious historical novelist with roots deep in a particular time? What influenced you to become a writer and what do you want to get from it? Who taught you to speak, and what have you read and loved? These are all elements of the writer's voice.”
Then, I clicked on link to Scholastic.com and found a lesson plan for teachers about helping students find a strong writing voice. And again, another piece of the pie regarding defining voice fell into my lap.
“I tell my students, ‘You know writing has voice if:
- It shows the writer's personality
- It sounds different from everyone else's
- It contains feelings and emotions
- The words come to life
- It comes from the heart”
And of course, there’s also the Wikipedia definition: “Writer's voice is a literary term used to describe the individual writing style of an author. Voice is a combination of a writer's use of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text (or across several works). Voice can also be referred to as the specific fingerprint of an author, as every author has a different writing style.”
Since I didn’t run away crying when I received the critique comment, I figure I’m strong enough to believe in my writing. I might not have the lyrical voice of Barbara Samuel or even the strong voice that Scholastic.com talks about. But I do believe that I have my own voice – and it’s not one that I could easily change. Nor do I wish to.
That’s your voice like? Do you wish you could change it? Do you like it? Let me know.
5 comments:
Voice truly does come from the heart. It's what makes your writing yours.
I am very, very afraid that my voice will end up sounding like Barbara Cartland. She was my first romance author, and I read as many of her books as I could get my hands on. So I'm really careful not to use "..." a whole lot! :D I have been reading McKinley, Meyer, Harrison and other, better writers since then, so maybe I'll be okay. :D
S.E. Savage
Kathleen Gilles Seidel did an excellent workshop for my local chapter a couple of years ago on voice. At the beginning, she explored the history of "voice" in the romance field.
For years, the houses smacked voice out of their writers. Readers in the early romance market weren't reading romance for the authors, but the stories and the themes. Harlequin, Silhouette, and M&B in particular were branding the houses and their lines, not the authors. It was believed that a bland voice was best.
That's changed obviously, and now voice is key. But as a result, many of the 80s authors failed to thrive today because they didn't change and hone their voice.
Anyway, I think a strong voice is important.
Nell, I like what you said. I think it's important to write from the heart anyway -- and that just makes your voice stronger.
S.E. -- try not to be afraid. Unless Barbara Cartland was the only thing you ever read, I'd say you're safe. And you'll learn to develop your own voice.
Amanda, voice is one of those things that if you do it right, someone will always be able to identify something you've written.
I have two different voices. I have my contemporary voice which is light-hearted and humorous. I've discovered that a lot of my humor comes from how I use contemporary language and culture. When I write paranormal set in a world that I've created, I have a much more serious voice and I'm not nearly as funny.
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