Sunday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

WHAT VOICE REALLY IS IN A NOVEL

By: C.S. Lakin

Last week we began looking at the topic of “voice” in a novel as the 10^th pillar of novel construction, and I pointed out that there is a lot of confusion and disagreement regarding this term. So I’m going to give you my take on the topic, and I think it will end the confusion.

Voice is all about characters—not about you!

There, I said it. It’s so simple, really. Every character in your novel has his or her own voice, whether a child, a man or woman, a dog, or a robot. Every POV character in your novel has a unique voice—both internally, in the way they think, as well as in their audible speech.

Voice Isn’t Just Speech

In addition, any character that speaks out loud (not a POV character) has a voice as well. I don’t mean literally here—for of course they have a voice if they can speak (and if they use sign language, that’s speech too). But what we’re talking about pertains to the manner, style, and presentation of that speech. With these characters, their voice comes out only in the words they actually say and how they’re said—since the writer is not going into their heads.

With POV characters, voice embodies more than spoken words or direct thoughts in their heads. The narrative should as well. When you craft a scene in a character’s POV, every line in that scene has to feel as though it is being processed, chewed, and spit out by that character. Everything that happens in that scene is witnessed, experienced, felt, and reacted to by that character. And so, even the narrative must have “voice.”

Narrative Must Be Shaped by Voice. . .

Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets, here they are again:

1. How to Narrate an Audiobook http://ow.ly/DUJuv
2. Finding Your Beginning in “The End”: Ending Your Beginning | KayeDacus.com http://ow.ly/DUM5q  
3. Writer Unboxed » On Reviews and How (Not) to Take Them http://ow.ly/DUMbr
4. The Case for Morning Writing | Ingrid's Notes http://ow.ly/DUMpN\
5. 3 Ways Community Improves Your Writing | Linda S. Clare http://ow.ly/DUMCn  
6. A Perfectionist's Guide to Crappy First Drafts - Jeni Chappelle http://ow.ly/DUMNk  
7. Succeed At Writing: Books on How to Write Novels http://ow.ly/DUMRO  
8. ThrillWriting: Stuck in the Car During a Snowstorm: How to Save Your Heroine's Life http://ow.ly/DUMXm  
9. Stop Reading, Start Doing. Now. : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/DUN9c
10. How One Marketing Blog Tripled Its Email Subscribers With 3 Simple Strategies - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/DUNfk
11. Serve the Story - A Writer's Journey http://ow.ly/DUNox
12. When Does Fan Fiction Cross an Ethical Line? | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/DUNBu
13. What Voice Really Is in a Novel | Live Write Thrive http://ow.ly/DUNJx
14. The future of books is on your phone, not your tablet | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/DUNQj
15. BookMarketingBuzzBlog: Hey Author, What Kind Of Salesperson Are You? http://ow.ly/DUO83
16. Authors: Why Book Giveaway Promotions May Hurt Your Sales | Daniel Decker http://ow.ly/DUOeU

Happy writing and running, Kathy