Author Voice, part four

*This is part four in a series. View parts one, two, and three. 

If you've been following this series, are you understanding author voice a bit more? Author voice is the distinct manner in which a novelist creates sentences and story.

I'd like to share a final author voice, one I've recently discovered.

Dandelion Summer by Lisa Wingate:

A single drop of water changes the ocean. A noted colleague of mine once asserted this as we dawdled over lunch at a restaurant near Cape Canaveral. “How can it not?” he demanded. “Some amount of matter is displaced. There’s transference of energy. Nothing is as it was before.” We were young then, certain of our own importance. Convinced that our presence in the world, that our work, was destined to change it. 

From the above sample, is there little doubt that this book is about relationships?

Here are some more tips to developing your author voice:

1. Allow yourself to be lousy—while you’re finding your voice, some of what you write may very well stink. That’s Okay. It’s all part of the process.

2. Write honestly and allow your passion to shine through. When you write from your personal feelings, your voice will be natural. Write as if you were talking to a friend.

3. Care about your subject matter. If you don’t care what you’re writing about, you’ll never discover your true voice.

4. Play games—Select a picture from a magazine, billboard, or advertisement, and write a one-line sentence about what is going on. Or go through old photo albums and write a short story about one of your favorite pictures.

In Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Brown and King say, “In order to write with a mature voice, you have to mature first.”

Be passionate with your ideas and put your feelings into your writing. Get emotional, but don’t tell your reader how you feel, show him/her.

What is your opinion? Don’t be afraid to share. Opinions give us our voice.

I encourage you to practice your craft, pursue your voice, and perfect your style. And don’t forget, have fun writing your story!