Voice
Posted by CM under Ornithology, Writing on Fri 16 Mar 2007
ne of the things I’m worrying about in revisions is voice. I have two main point-of-view characters, and I have to say that I’ve been foolishly letting their voices elide into each others. And so I’m making lists now, on the second time through, of characteristics of speech. Subtle things that distinguish one character from another.
For instance, one of my characters speaks very precisely. He’s not even allowed to think the words “thing” or “what have you” or “such like” or any of that. He identifies everything in detail–at least in his head; he’s a bit more shy when he speaks aloud, a problem he deals with as the book goes on. And as the book goes on, his outward language starts matching his inner thoughts more and more. If he can attach a quantity to something, he will. “Five” is better than “some.”
Another character is — well, he’s fluffy. He’s not stupid, but he has his own brand of special logic. And so for him, everything’s about imprecision. He uses the word “thing.” He weasels. He makes sweeping statements that character number one would shudder to hear.
Yet another character is lovable but–at least until near the end–very selfish. And so everything she says (she doesn’t get a point of view) needs to subtly indicate that she only sees the world through her eyes.
And yet I have to do this without being too heavy-handed. I hate it when authors set off a character by giving them one thing that they say over and over. I don’t want to hit my readers over the head with the differences between characters; I just want to make it subtly obvious that they’re quite, quite different.
So what do you do to set your characters apart? Any tips?
March 16th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
oh dear. I don’t think I have any speech patterns or accents or ways of thinking that set mine apart. I mean, I think they’re set apart, but I never set out to give them certain characteristics. One’s a man, one’s a woman. I think it ends there.
March 16th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Yes, well. Your main characters have a great deal more to set them apart in the first place than mine do.
I had the brilliant idea that I would have two main characters who never disagree about anything, and that poses a little bit more of a challenge by way of being distinct.
March 16th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
I don’t know that I try any particular way to make them different. I hear them as different and write what I hear. . . but now that I think about it, I’ll have to go back and see if they “sound” different~ thanks for the pointers about how to introduce subtle differences. . . I hadn’t thought too much about word choices and speech affectations. . . it’s a very good idea!
March 18th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Your thoughtful approach will serve you well because, as readers, we immediately recognize when a character’s speech feels wrong. Identifying the underlying reasons for why a character chooses the words they do is a wonderful way to increase the authenticity of your characters. But on the issue of choosing one thing for a character to say over and over, I believe that a writer can identify certain eccentricities of speech that can be effective without hitting the reader over the head. One example that springs to mind is Holmes’s “Elementary, my dear Watson.” This is not something that anyone else says, this is his alone, and stems from his strange and unique way of looking at the world. That’s what I’m trying to do right now–give my characters their eccentricities without being heavy-handed about it.