Welcome to the Steemit writing workshop. The first post in this series is here: Writing workshop volume 1: The beginning.
Developing your writing voice: let's get started
I would like to tell you that finding your writing voice is a simple matter, and that you can find the secret to it right here in this workshop. But the truth is that it takes time. It is something we must develop, as writers. The good news is that developing voice can be wonderfully fun. And a writing workshop is a great way to explore. (If you are an experienced writer, please share in the comments how you found or developed your writing voice, as this will be of interest to new writers.)
What is “voice”?
Very simply, your voice is your writing style. Some writers convey every idea in a stunningly spare style that invites the reader to participate and fill in the blanks. Others write beautifully long and embellished sentences that draw the reader in through the richness of language and the melodic sound of the words. It is very difficult to do, but some writers infuse their writing with a voice that is completely unique to them; when you read that writer’s work, you might nod in recognition. If you are developing as a writer, think about what characterizes your own writing, and that of other writers you admire.
Voice example #1
The following passage, from Raymond Carver’s story, Want to See Something? is a beautiful example of a spare and simple writing voice. His brilliance as a writer was never demonstrated through fancy words. In this passage, Nancy, the protagonist, is a housewife dealing with regrets about her marriage, how her life has unfolded, and her husband’s alcoholism. At night, with her husband drunk, asleep, and snoring, she is able to tell him her thoughts even knowing that he is “someplace else” and can’t hear her. The following is how the story ends.
“Just so many words, you might think. But I felt better having said them. And so I wiped the tears off my cheeks and lay back down. Cliff’s breathing seemed normal, though loud to the point I couldn’t hear my own. I thought for a minute of the world outside my house, and then I didn’t have any more thoughts except I thought maybe I could sleep.”
Voice example #2
This is a passage from the novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. One of the things that is so impressive about this work is that Towles sustains a consistently elaborate, melodic and wry voice for 480 dazzling pages.
“Admittedly, the Piazza could not challenge the elegance of the Boyarsky's décor, the sophistication of its service, or the subtlety of its cuisine. But the Piazza did not aspire to elegance, service, or subtlety. With eighty tables scattered around a marble fountain and a menu offering everything from cabbage piroghi to cutlets of veal, the Piazza was meant to be an extension of the city—of its gardens, markets, and thorough fares. It was a place where Russians cut from every cloth could come to linger over coffee, happen upon friends, stumble into arguments, or drift into dalliances—and where the lone diner seated under the great glass ceiling could indulge himself in admiration, indignation, suspicion, and laughter without getting up from his chair.”
Workshop assignment #2: Exercise your voice
Do this: Write a short-short story (1,000 words or less) that is about a personal drama that your character is encountering, in two versions.
In version one, tell the story without using a lot of words to describe the actual feelings of the character. Let the reader come to understand the crux of the issue and what the character may really be feeling through action and simple, unadorned dialog.
In version two, tell the story in an embellished fashion. Use rich language, elaborate sentences, and descriptions of the surroundings to assist in setting the mood and playing out the drama.
Once you have created both versions, think about which “voice” felt most natural to you. If you get stuck, there is one simple and beautiful antidote: read. Stop writing and read the work of an author whose voice and style you admire. When you have read for a while and have experienced the cadence of that writer’s style, try writing something of your own by emulating that writer’s voice.
I welcome you to share what you come up with, or other things you would like to “workshop” to get feedback. Be sure to use the #Writing and #Workshop tags. (Other good tags: #Fiction, #Story.)
To your success!
Image credit: Blog.Oxforddictionaries.com