I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I didn't have much of an understanding of character voice at the beginning of this year. None of my professors in college really talked about it. I think I remember learning the definition in high school and reading it briefly in a few writing tips.
In truth, I've probably heard the fact that "Voice is one of the biggest draws for getting an agent or editor" more than I've actually heard tips on writing voice. Since then, I've gotten to the heart of what voice is. Or so I think. You'll have to judge for yourself. Here's what I found for anyone who might be struggling like I once was, or anyone who wants to learn more.
Sometimes when people think of character voice, they think of first person narration, but really, all characters have a voice of their own, even if they aren't telling the story.
To illustrate, here are three lines from Harry, Ron, and Hermione:
- "Don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you..."
- "Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?"
- "I don't go looking for trouble. Trouble usually finds me."
If you've read the books, I bet you can tell who said what.
Voice is made up of two things: What the character talks (or sometimes thinks) about, and how she says it. In other words:
What the Character Thinks or Talks about + How She Says it = Voice
