Learning
Voice: how a little schizophrenia can spice up your novel
Hello all readers of The Creatively Green Write At
Home Mom. I am so glad to share with you information about my new adult fantasy
romance, and give you a little insight on writing Voice. Please, after reading
this post, connect with me on social media.
You know, one of the things I love is hearing
characters’ voices in my head. You can
call me crazy, but when a novel has a strong voice, it leaves me thinking about
it long after I finished reading.
Hardy Griffin started magic when he authored an
article published in Gotham
Writers’ Workshop, Writing Fiction. There he described
voice to be, “what the readers “hear” in their heads when they’re reading.
Voice is the “sound” of the story.”
How about that?
After reading his piece, and chewing on some pasta,
I came to understand voice went way beyond character.
Why, indeed, it did not have to sound like the
character at all.
Let’s see if I can make sense of this mud puddle.
Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist for
example:
“Oliver Twists’ ninth birthday found him a pale,
thin child, somewhat diminutive in stature, and decidedly small in
circumference.”
Now that certainly does not sound like a 9-year-old
boy to me. Still, I am okay with it because I understand it is the voice of the
author.
Taking a look at a stark contrast from Dicken’s
voice, we can see an example where the voice sounds much more like the
character.
“Strawberries are big and juicy. That wasn’t even
the best part about them. 2 p.m. at lunch, they were going to be thrown at the
back of Susie’s head. And if you think
I’d care who’d be looking, you better think again real quick.”
With a voice like that, I should never stumble upon
the word diminutive unless it is well justified.
Hardy Griffin continued to explain to writers there
are so many voices to choose from, but once a voice is chosen, one has to stay
consistent.
Here is a list of the voices Griffin listed below
for your reading pleasure. I invite you to come dive into schizophrenia with
me. Play around with voice and transform your writing.
Voices:
how a little schizophrenia can spice up your novel
The
conversational voice
This voice is told mostly in the first person. It
includes a lot of the character’s slang and personality. Books such as Huckleberry Finn and Push by Sapphire fall into this
category.
The
informal voice
Think not so personality-heavy. The voice is still casual, making use of
everyday language. Darkly Dreaming Dexter
falls into this category, my book Superheroes
Wear Faded Denim, and Raymond Carter’s Cathedral.
Although I find this voice mostly in stories written in a close third
point-of-view, I can tell there is a slight difference between the author’s
voice and the main character’s.
The
formal voice
This voice is a general sweep. Because the voice is
so detached, it allows you the ability to dive into many characters’ heads. At
the same time, you do not get the up close and personal feel with the
character. Though that may be seen as a drawback, the formal voice can lend
itself best to a large cast of characters, a myriad of locations, and large
changes in time period. Think Leo Tolstoy’s Master
and Man when trying to achieve this.
The
ceremonial voice
If you are thinking preacher on the pulpit, you are
right on the right track. You heighten the feel by giving a glorious, almost
transcendental feel to the descriptions of your setting and characters. I
believe Sugar by Bernice McFadden
falls into this category. If you do not
have such a book in your possession, here is a short example:
“Johnny was a giant of a man, built like the broad
oaks planted in the front yard of Dallas’ Savannah, Georgia home. So tall and
big he was, one always thought an earthquake was about to brew every time he
approached. That was the man Dallas knew she wanted to marry. A man who had the
body and hands to turn a village into a city. Yet Johnny and God had made plans
for his hands long before Dallas had even graced Savannah with her presence.”
Voice to me is so much fun. It allows the writer to
accomplish so much. Why a well-chosen, well-constructed voice can really
redefine a novel.
I urge you to be a
little wild. Walk the line of schizophrenia, especially if you are just getting
started on working on the second draft of your novel.
If you are overwhelmed
by all this information, do not worry I am right there with you. I wish I could
delve deeper into examples, but I am of the ilk that believe the majority of
people do not wish to read a five-page college essay on a blog.
I strongly recommend purchasing Gotham
Writers’ Workshop, Writing Fiction. Griffin’s article is
in there, and he goes more in depth when he discusses voice. While you
searching for Gotham Writer’s workshop on Google, I invite you to read an
excerpt of my book, Superheroes
Wear Faded Denim.
Blissany Cherry is tired of sleeping around. Her neurologists’ sleep solutions have failed her. Now that her bizarre sleeping habits have begun to include week long dreams she has resorted to her own methods for a cure.
METHOD ONE: CONTROL DREAMS. All attempts to morph dreams about a gorgeous warrior into romantic fantasies are thwarted. He keeps on insisting she is destined to marry a great king and lead their armies into war. At the end of every dream he asks her: will you fight the war and save mankind?
She laughs in his face.
METHOD TWO: RESIST! Blissany has plans for her life. None include fighting an intergalactic war. When her dreams begin spilling over into reality, she is forced to make a decision that will forever redefine her life. Standing between destiny and desire, she is left with only one option.
METHOD THREE: SURVIVE.
About the Author:
Law Reigns has an odd obsession with romance. At the advice of her friends, she gave up the plight of playing cupid in their lives. Developing her own characters to manipulate proved to be more rewarding. After having studied creative writing at the University of Florida, she decided to write Superheroes Wear Faded Denim. A proud Gator alumni, she based her novel where blood runs orange and blue. She personally invites all adventure druggies and love fanatics to dive into the pages of Faded Denim, a story that transforms a swampy, southern town into a battlefield for life and love.
Connect with Law Reigns
Website: www.lawreigns.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lawreignsupreme
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/lawreignsupreme
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/lawreignsupreme/
Why this story:
I wrote this story for three reasons:
1. As a narcoleptic, I wanted to inspire others by writing a story about a character who struggles to overcome sleep. Harriet Tubman’s story inspired me. For those who do not know, she was also a narcoleptic. She most certainly did not let it bother her. Anyone who faces obstacles in life will be inspired by this story of triumph.
2. Telling the story of a young woman who had to undergo a transformation to achieve greatness was important to me. Life will always ask more of us, more than we sometimes even think we can give.
3. I wanted to capture the beauty and culture of my college experience. There are so many different types of people we meet in college. Many stories do not even try to convey this.
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