I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about infusing your query with your Voice. Hope you'll pop on over and check it out!
Voice is hard to describe yet it's very obvious when it's there ... and when it's not.
I like reading a wide variety of different Voices. I definitely enjoy some Voices I could never emulate or create. I remember reading Erma Bombeck's hilarious accounts of her real life when I was in elementary school. Love her stuff but it's not a style/voice I could ever write.
I like the flowing fantasy style of Tolkien, the literary loveliness of LMM Montgomery, the darkness of so many dystopian writers.
But would my Voice be able to pull off any of these? Nope.
Not yet.
Maybe some day.
What about you? Do you enjoy reading Voices that are very different from your own?
39 comments:
Definitely like reading other voices if I like the story, even if it's not something I'd be able to do too.
This weekend I tore through The False Prince and am currently reading The Runaway King. I love Sage's voice -- and he is such a tricky narrator!
Nailing the voice in your query is essential!
Reading a different voice is both interesting and self-examining. I love that! Voice is one of my favorite elements of writing & reading.
HI, Jemi..
I totally do! Voice is the heart and soul of the author. It's real and emotional. A true voice pulls the reader in without them even knowing it...
Natalie - me too! I love the variety! :)
Dianne - I haven't been able to pry those books out of my students' hands long enough to read them myself!
Sheri - me too! I love the differences :)
Michael - exactly! :)
Voice is unique to all writers and that damned elusive thing to master!
Kelly - exactly!!! :)
I don't suspect that many writers would be able to pull off other authors Voice ... Well, if I could I'd write the next Harry Potter and the next Lord of The Rings!
Ah, sadly I'll just have to stick with my own Voice :)
Oh, and I'm sure yours is as unique as anyone else's. It just has to be heard :)
Hey Jemi,
How's it goin', eh?
Speaking of voice, somebody once told me that I write with a Canadian accent.
Then again, there's the voice of a certain Jack Russell dog. Arf! :)
Gary
Wendy - so true! I do love a variety of voices, but I'm okay with the way my own is developing too :)
Gary - I've heard that, eh! And Penny's voice has a distinctive accent too! Charming of course! :)
I love the snarky voices, but I can't pull those off. Oh how I wish I could. We've all got our thing, the key is to find out what that is and then capitalize on it.
Kari - I love that snarkiness too! But no way could I pull that off! :)
I think I've found my voice.But how can we ever be sure???
I love voice, and I appreciate a variety of voices. I think a good voice really makes a story (or author) develop an identity of its own.
Heading over to check out your other post. :)
Bombeck always kept me in stitches. Bryson is another humorous voice that I can't get enough of.
sadly, not many writers have a voice ... nor anything to say with it for that matter LOL
Yvonne - good question! I guess if it fits???
Shelley - thanks! I agree - voice pulls me in!
Lee - I love Bombeck - wonderful lady!
Dezzy - so sad but true! :)
I think I really understood voice for the first time when I read Steve Martin's CRUEL SHOES. Sooooo funny.
Interesting. I don't know if my queries have my voice. I'll check out the post.
Leslie - I haven't read that one but he is one funny man!
Medeia - thanks! And I bet they do :)
Voice is the one thing that I always wonder about...
How does a person know what his/her voice is? Or can others only recognise it easily?
Writer In Transit
Michelle - good questions! I think I know my own voice now - but it's taken a while! It's such an elusive thing to describe :)
There's magic in some voices.
Lynda - there truly is!! :)
I've never branched out on different voices before, but over the last few months I've been trying different ones. I've found some great books with unusual voices, and it has been fun seeing how they work and what makes them enjoyable.
Jack - I enjoy playing with different voices in my writing and I love having a variety in my reading! :)
Of course. Reading a lot of voices that sound like mine would get very boring. *grin*
Linda - LOL - so true! We all need a little variety!! :)
I love reading any kind of a distinctive voice, whether or not it's anything like mine. If I find myself enchanted by the voice, I know it's going to be a book I love!
Beth - I agree! The voice can really pull me in even when the genre isn't my fave! :)
I LOVE reading books that are so dramatically different from mine. Even when I write in different genres, I find that I have a very distinct voice, so it's always so fun and interesting to read an author who has a completely different style and voice from my own. It's a great learning experience for sure!
Julie - that's exactly how I feel! Love soaking up all the talent! :)
I always try to guess an authors voice when I read a story.
Kelly - I love the different voices too :)
The contest I have been hosting have allowed me to read a lot of different voices. I like to think my "voice" is gentle and soothing, but I love reading hard snarky material.
Great post Jemi!
Sharon - exactly! My voice isn't in the least snarky but I love reading it :)
RR - thanks! :)
Some authors do voice so well and I love the variety of voice in different books. I like to read voices that are different from my own and ones that might be similar. So many great examples out there! :)
~Jess
Jess - there are! I love the variety! :)
Post a Comment