Voice

The voice of a story is like the voice of a singer who sings like he/she means the words. It is the heart and soul of a good piece of writing. Without a driving, unique voice, a voice that gives us the personality of the main character in a completely believable way, a story can be impossible to read.

In her blog at WriteOnCon, Elana Roth says this about voice: "Essentially, a voice is something to be listened to. The stronger the voice, the better it will be heard. And once you have it down, that’s all it takes for someone else to fall in love."

It's so true. Voice cannot really be explained. Voice is something that is inherently part of a good story. Without realising it, the voice is what makes a story sing along.

Voice, by the way, ISN'T how the main character speaks. Voice is the personal soul, the soul of the writer that is revealed through the words chosen to place on a page of white paper. Voice portrays the emotion, love, and tenderness of the writer who cares, really and truly, for the characters created. Voice is the passion that drives the reader on to care as much for the story as the writer does.

Voice is incredibly personal. A lot of what I think, feel, mean, and say is passed on to you, the reader, through the words of my creation, my main character. Voice is my heart, my innermost me, cut open and revealed, like a diamond that is so precious that I want to share it with you.

When you write, you want to keep the voice consistent, to keep it layered with more information that will keep the reader turning the pages. Every new chapter should reveal more facets to your character, each page should be consistent with the voice of the page before.

Be true to the voice that is inside you, waiting to be released. It's vague, and it's hard to understand. It's like the chemistry between two people. As Elana Roth says, "You know it when you see it, and you know it when you don’t feel it, but if you had to analyze the components of it, you’d be hard-pressed to find adequate evidence to point to."