Voice: It’s a “CNAP”! Character, Narrator, Active, Passive

Character Voice Factors that influence a character’s voice: Age Gender Education level Environment Experiences Beliefs/Biases Fears Family history

Different characters require different voices Character #1: A 16-year-old religious monk who has been highly educated but secluded from society. Character #2: A 47-year-old mercenary who has traveled the world, killed men, and now aspires to the throne. Character #3: A 20-year-old slave, orphaned and outcast, who has a particular skill with horses.

The Name of the Wind My name is Kvothe.... I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me.

Dialogue-Only Books World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks Sleeping Giants Sylvain Neuvel

Narrative Voice The Protagonist The Secondary Character (A Study in Scarlet) The Detached Observer (1984) The Commentator (A Christmas Carol) The Interviewer (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) The Secret Character (Lemony Snicket) The Unreliable Narrator (Code Name Verity)

Author Voice: The Dark Tower I’ve told my tale all the way to the end, and am satisfied.... [But] you say you want to know how it all comes out. You say you want to follow Roland into the Tower; you say that is what you paid your money for, the show you came to see. I hope most of you know better. Want better. I hope you came to hear the tale, and not just munch your way through the pages to the ending. For an ending, you only have to turn to the last page and see what is there writ upon. But endings are heartless.... And so, my dear Constant Reader, I tell you this: You can stop here.... Should you go on, you will surely be disappointed, perhaps even heartbroken.... Would you still?

Active Voice In a sentence using active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb. Active voice keeps writing clear, concise, and engaging. “The boy picked up a hitchhiker.” “The hitchhiker attacked the boy.” “The boy slammed on the brakes.” “The hitchhiker flew through the windshield.”

Passive Voice In a sentence using passive voice, the subject is acted upon; he or she receives the action expressed by the verb. Overuse of passive voice can result in flat and uninteresting prose. Sometimes it is acceptable to use passive voice. “The hitchhiker was picked up by the boy.” “The boy was attacked by the hitchhiker.” “The brakes were slammed on by the boy.” “The windshield was flown through by the hitchhiker.”

To Be (or not to be) You can recognize passive-voice expressions because the verb phrase will always include a form of “be.” The presence of a be-verb, however, does not necessarily mean that the sentence is in passive voice. Am Is Was Were Are Been

The Editor’s Voice The editor should be invisible while maintaining and strengthening the author’s choices regarding character and narrator voice.