Six Traits Lecture: Close-up on Voice
Defining Voice
- Does this piece seem like anyone could have written it, or does it have a distinct personality?
– The uniqueness of what is said and how it is said helps define voice.
If Voice Depends On the Author, What Makes It Good?
- the author cares about the topic–and you can tell by how they talk about it
- the tone is appropriate to the subject and the audience
- strong feeling, honest statements
- clear and well-developed personality–the writing is able to create a connection and seeming interaction between author and audience
- does the writing have a gift for voice? well… do you feel something when you read their work?
- would you keep reading it even if it were much longer?
So, Does the Author Care??
Bad Idea:
- I’m writing because I think school dress codes are a bad idea.
(There isn’t anything to expand on this idea. )
Better Idea:
- By setting restrictions on appropriate dress, schools create more problems then they solve.
(Now, there is some thing to work with! You can discuss the problems dress code creates rather than solves.)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bad Idea:
- It’s really bad when stupid people let their pets go in the wild, like in the Everglades with all the pythons. I think it’s dangerous because those snakes destroy everything.
Better Idea:
- When they release pets into the wild, well-meaning but uninformed owners are triggering potential catastrophes. One example is the increasing threat from the giant Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. A fierce predator, the python is dangerous for birds, mammals, alligators, and perhaps even humans.
Setting the Tone
formal vs informal
Tones to have in your writing: Dreamy, Frustrated, Concerned, Sarcastic, Sincere, or Humorous
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
(Good example of tone, though the first sentence breaks the rules with a run-on sentence. But this is done for the purpose of tone. The character is a very upset little boy and this is how he would express all his thoughts.)
“At breakfast Antony found a Corvette Sting Ray car kit in his breakfast cereal box and Nick found a Junior Undercover Agent code ring in his breakfast cereal box but in my breakfast cereal box all I found was breakfast cereal. I think I’ll move to Australia.”
Other Notes on Voice
- The trait of voice is highly linked to word choice.
- The narrative voice is not the same thing as the author–a capable author can use different voices when necessary.
- Voice is perhaps the hardest thing to teach or formally learn. It is acquired by reading heaps and heaps and writing loads!
Voice Pitfalls
Forcing a persona that isn’t you and about whom you don’t know very much
- trying to sound intelligent: intelligence comes through with clean, effective, accurate points, not “verbal fluff” and fancy words
- trying to speak from the point of view of someone different from you if you don’t understand their perspective in an authentic way
Showing your feelings by stating them instead of showing them through powerful language (This is BAD, BAD, BAD)
- Remember the examples from earlier about dress codes and the Burmese pythons?
Wrapping It Up: The Big Picture in Voice
- Care about your topic. If you have no choice in the topic, find an angle that you can care about. That will give your writing power.
- Be honest about who you are and what you believe–don’t put something just because you think you’ll get a better grade or a better reception if you say something other than what you believe.
- Let your writing take on personality. You want to create a connection with your audience–you want them to be excited to read more of what you have to say in the future.
