Sarah Nego’s post on her blog – Save your Voice – made me think about why voice is so important in writing.
We could all write about the same event with the same characters in the same setting, but it is our VOICE that will distinguish us from each other.
Here’s what shapes my writing Voice:
— Diction
— Pacing
— Sentence Structure
— Tone
Diction and Voice in Writing –
If you’re an avid reader (and you should be!), your diction is influenced by what you read. Your diction is also influenced by the music you listen to, the movies you watch, and the people you listen to in conversation.
Your word choice (diction) is one element of your VOICE in writing.
I’ll talk about pacing tomorrow.
1 WARNING about having a unique voice in your writing – your ideal readers will LOVE it. They’ll fall in love with your voice, and they will let you know when you’ve strayed from it.
You’ll have readers who like your story, but can take or leave your voice. It doesn’t resonate with them. And, that’s okay. They can still enjoy your story because they like your plot, your setting, your characters.
You’ll also have readers who HATE your voice – if it’s unique. They won’t be able to get over your voice to get to the characters, plot, setting. Here’s where it may be tempting to think about changing your voice.
But, if you have a unique voice, why would you do that? Stay true to your VOICE. Find your readers. They’ll love you for it. There’s plenty of generic, vanilla writing voices out there.
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melindamcguirewrites 
My voice is to talk to the reader. Some of my readers like it and the others hate it.
I try not to make it intrusive but it’s a good way of getting info across without the overused busines of another flashback.
I try very hard to talk up to my reader rather than talking down. Sometimes that comes across sounding formal, according to some of my crit partners. How can someone typing away at her keyboard in her messy office and rumpled pajamas sound formal?
Pingback: Your Voice in Writing – Part 3 – Sentence Structure | melindamcguirewrites
Pingback: Your Voice in Writing – Part 4 – Tone | melindamcguirewrites
Voice is an interesting thing. And you’re right–reader appreciation of voice differs from person to person. Like you said, all you can do is keep writing to develop your own style so that it is consistent, then go with it!
See… I finally made it to post #1 on this topic! 🙂