What is writing voice?

Posted by bridgid on | July 15, 2010 | 2 Comments |

Last week, we invited our readers to share their description of their writing voice to enter our July book giveaway. Click here to learn how you can win a copy of Bree Despain’s The Dark Divine, chocolates and an interview!

Simply put, your writing voice is the extra flavor your lend your words to make them entirely your own. Your writing voice is what will set your work apart from other writers.

In Donald Maass’s book, The Fire in Fiction, he calls voice “that fuzzy literary term that embraces everything from prose style to sensibility to seriousness (or silliness) of purpose…” He goes on to say, “I don’t care about your choice [of narrative style] particularly, but I do care whether or not you have a distinctive way of telling your tale.”

Your voice isn’t that you always use first person, that your hero (or protagonist) is a woman, or that you usually set your books on a fantasy world. Those are just the vehicles for your story. Your voice is your personality and flare shining through the details and capturing the interest of your readers.

In the latest issue of WOW! Women on Writing, writer Cathy C. Hall explains why aspiring novelists must have a clear writing voice. “The stronger that voice, the better the novel,” she wrote. “It’s that intangible in a manuscript that agents and editors are always looking for. And if they don’t find it, then your wonderful manuscript will receive that dreaded rejection letter.”

Grammar Girl

Julie Wildhaber, who trains writers and editors at Yahoo!, wrote about voice on Grammar Girl. She describes voice as “the distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing or any other creative work. Voice is what Simon Cowell is talking about when he tells “American Idol” contestants to make a song their own and not just do a note-for-note karaoke version.”

Like Hall, Wildhaber considers a distinctive voice voice essential to writing well. She wrote, “a strong voice helps you make every word count, establishes consistency across your website or body of work, and most importantly helps you grab your readers’ attention and establish a relationship with them.”

For our July giveaway contest, we’re asking you to describe your writing voice, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. This question is meant to stimulate your creativity and challenge your ability to describe one of the more elusive (yet essential) aspects of writing. We’re not judging your voice, we’re simply looking for honest answers to a difficult question.

How about you guys–is this how you would describe writing voice? If not, what would you change, or add?

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