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Follow my journey toward publication. Laugh, cry, point and stare-- it's all good. I'll leave a trail so that you, my fellow author, may have a straighter path to finding your own elusive publishing contract. Adventure awaits. Let's travel together...



Thursday, March 17, 2011

Is That You? Developing Voices for Different POVs

by Janice Hardy
(Another wonderful and timely post I had to share with you, my dear readers!)

We all know voice is important, but there’s more than just your author’s voice. Characters have voices too, and making those voices distinct in multiple POV stories helps readers keep track of who’s who. It’s also a good way to help you develop those characters into solid personalities. Until you know who they are, you won’t know what they sound like (and vice versa).

The Sound of…Someone

Crafting character voices for a multiple POV story isn’t that different making them sound different in a single POV tale. Everyone has their own speech patterns, favorite turns of phrase, physical reactions or gestures while speaking and whatnot. You may not be in their heads, but you still hear them talk. The biggest difference is in the internalization, hearing them think. Because it’s easy to forget you’re looking at the world through their eyes and write it the way you’d see it. And that risks all your characters sounding alike.


...Continue reading this very helpful article by Janice Hardy here!

Do you have a favorite article on the craft of writing to share?

3 comments:

Lisa Lickel said...

Good job! It's always good to explore all the angles.

Brooke R. Busse said...

I like your new layout. Way more open.

Michelle Massaro said...

Thanks to both of you! Brooke, I really like it too. It's like getting a great new haircut! =)