How to find your writing voice
What do we mean by ‘voice’?
You’ll often hear agents say the main thing they’re looking for in an opening page is a compelling ‘voice’. But what does this mean? And how can you find yours? This newsletter looks at what ‘voice’ is and how you can ensure yours stands out from the crowd.
WEBINAR: Writing to market, with Melissa Addey (Exclusive to members)
24 June 2020. Join indie expert Melissa Addey as she takes the six-step process used in business and applies it to developing ideas for books, to ensure your ideas sell – however you’re looking to publish.
NEW on Jericho Writers
Masterclass: How to find your voice – Part one (FREE for members)
In part one of this masterclass, we look at defining what ‘voice’ is and see it in action in some examples in first and third person.
BLOG: Voice in the novel (and finding yours)
This blog explains what ‘voice’ is in the classic sense, with examples and handy tips on how to apply it to your own writing.
REPLAYS: New member webinars added (FREE for members)
We’ve just added the latest batch of membership webinar replays to the website, including webinars by literary agents, and Harry Bingham’s elevator pitch webinar.
Content corner: What does ‘voice’ actually mean?
In the classic sense, an author’s voice is the style in which they write. This covers things like language use, formatting, sentence structure, themes and punctuation – anything that means you can read a page from a particular author and know that they wrote it. The blog above delves into this in more detail and it’s really worth reading if you want to discover your own writing fingerprint.
The other time you’ll hear the word ‘voice’ used relates character. This is particularly relevant if you’re writing in first person, as the character’s personality will inform your narrative voice. In this case, ‘voice’ can mean your protagonist’s language use, formatting, sentence structure, themes and punctuation!
It can sometimes be difficult to know what’s your character’s first-person voice and what’s your own as an author, and really – picking them apart doesn’t matter. The important thing is to ensure that you’re making your language distinct, relevant and accessible. Write in the way that comes most naturally to you. Don’t be afraid to break the rules. And when writing a character, let all the parts of who they are – albeit dialect, hobbies, perception or culture – sing from the page.
So – over to you. Are you confused about voice? Do you have any tips on how to find yours? Sign up for free and share in the Townhouse, here.
Stay well x
Sarah J
Plus, don’t miss:
New dates added for the Self-Edit Your Novel tutored Course
We’ve just added dates for 2021 in January, March, June and September. Warning: this online course always sells out in advance! Bursaries are available.
Manuscript Assessment (Discounts available for members)
Our most popular editorial service matches you to your dream editor and gives you tailored feedback on your work. It doesn’t get better than that.
Summer Festival of Writing tickets still available (Discounts available for members)
With live events from the likes of Neil Gaiman, Juliet Mushens and HaperCollins still to come, there’s 50+ reasons to grab your ticket and join the Summer Festival fun till 4 September 2020.
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