No, not the Dark Side. LOL Your writing voice, and yes, there’s great power in it. It allows your readers to feel your characters, too. And when people can empathize with their troubles, you’ve got a great story.
So, how to come up with it?
- Image via Wikipedia
Just write a few paragraphs and try different voices until you feel as if this is the character you want. Here’s what I mean:
Let’s take a typical teen, and he’s hoping to make the baseball team:
Voice 1:
Man, it’s going to be amazing. I’m going to be picked, first-string pitcher. I can feel it. Watch this!
Voice 2:
I’m really nervous. I know I can do it, but will it be good enough for first string? Will the coach think I’m good enough for first string? Oh, jeez… I”m up.
Voice 3:
Who cares? If I get picked for first-string that could be cool. Everyone will be watching and well… If not, screw it. I’ll just get this year over with and try again.
So, what can you hear in these three voices? The first kid is very confident. He’s ready, willing, and he might be able, but we don’t know for sure. If he’s not picked for first-string, he’ll probably say that the coach is stupid. Right?
The second kid is scared, not at all confident, just hopeful. If he’s not picked, he’ll probably look to himself for improvement or just give up.
The third kid is apathetic on the surface, but you know that under that disdain, he’s really hoping to be picked. If he’s not, he’ll probably just fade away.
All three kids have different stories to tell, eh? Finding your voice can be a great way to delve into your characters’ thoughts and emotions and the exercises will help you to figure out just who that character is. Try it! It’s really fun.
