Hello, Full Circle community!
I had the pleasure of acting as faculty at the
Pikes Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs, CO this past weekend. What a wonderful conference! This writers group puts on a fabulous event, and are always so warm and welcoming. And the scenery was gorgeous, let's be honest here. If you're looking for a quality conference to attend, I recommend PPWC.
While I was there, I gave a presentation on YA lit -- "Hearing VOICE in YA Fiction." As an agent and reader, I find that voice is one of the absolute most important elements of a manuscript. Voice is always what catches my attention when I'm going through submissions, and it's such an exciting part of a book!
Voice is also, however, an area in which most authors struggle and is very hard to define. In hopes of giving a better understanding of voice and its elements, I'm posting the notes from my presentation as well as some fabulous writing resources that deal with this topic. I hope the information is helpful! Happy writing :).
-- Taylor
Hearing VOICE in YA Fiction
What is voice?
Voice is the combination of personality, tone, and style specific to your novel. It is the way readers are introduced to your narrator and characters on the first pages. It keeps your audience connected to and immersed in your novel through to the last page. Voice is what makes a reader care about your character, which must happen for the plot to carry weight and importance.
Creating voice in your manuscript:
* Specificity helps! Generalization won’t create a strong start for your voice. I want to hear what’s important and noticeable to this narrator, not everything that may or may not be connected.
Example: I AM THE MESSENGER, by Markus Zusak
* Make sure you’re using the 5 senses. This keeps your voice rich and vibrant.
Example: A NORTHERN LIGHT, by Jennifer Donnelly
* The narrative voice of your manuscript should be authentic to your character/narrator, and your characters themselves need to be individualized.
Example: MUCHACHO, by LouAnne Johnson
* Use voice to keep your reader immersed in your characters’ experiences and emotions. Don’t let readers detach from the moment – i.e. Don’t let your reader hear ‘your’ thoughts. Make them stay connected to your narrator.
Example: LIKE MANDARIN, by Kirsten Hubbard
* Be sure your voice has authority.
Example: THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, by Sherman Alexie
Exercises for developing voice:
Voice is a make-it or break-it element for most readers. Your voice needs to be natural to your manuscript, and isn’t something that can be taught. We do hope, however, to help you tap into your narrative voice! It may not always click right away, but keep working toward building this very important aspect of your writing. You won’t regret the time you spend on it.
Here are a few exercises and suggestions for how to develop a strong voice that is particular to your book.
1. Write a few chapters from a different point of view, and/or using a new tense.
2. Use a new character as your narrator.
3. Using your main character’s point of view, pick a specific idea or thing of importance, and write a scene focusing on just this item – almost as a journal entry for your main character.
4. Recommended by Renni Browne and Dave King in SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS: Reread your book aloud, and highlight sentences or section that you feel “sing.” Pay attention to what makes them special, what makes them stand out. What is the rhythm, the cadence, the phrasing that works so well? Conversely, mark the sentences that you think fall flat and don’t work to make your narrator or character truly individual. Use the comparison to strengthen these weak areas.
* Writing Resources *
SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS: How to Edit Yourself into Print by Renni Browne & Dave King
SECOND SIGHT: An Editor’s Talks on Writing, Revising & Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl Klein
WRITING MAGIC: Creating Stories that Fly by Gail Carson Levine
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