VOICE WAIT. REALLY?

DICTION WORD CHOICE: CONNOTATION AS WELL AS DENOTATION CONNOTATION HELPS YOU DEVELOP ATTITUDE AND TONE WORD ORDER (SYNTAX)

AUTHOR’S VOICE PARTICULAR, RECOGNIZABLE STYLE AND TONE LET’S US KNOW IT IS YOU (JUST AS IF WE PICKED UP THE PHONE AND HEARD YOUR VOICE) DON’T WORRY ABOUT FINDING YOUR VOICE WORRY ABOUT BEING CLEAR, PRECISE, AND VIVID MAKE LANGUAGE RICH, FLEXIBLE, AND VARIED THE LANGUAGE THAT COMES NATURALLY TO YOU IS YOUR FOUNDATION

PERSONA A MASK ADOPTED BY THE AUTHOR PUBLIC VERSION OF SELF PARTIAL VERSION OF SELF THE PART OF YOURSELF YOU CHOOSE TO SHARE YOUR SUBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVE ALWAYS COMES INTO PLAY, ESPECIALLY IN CREATIVE WRITING QUESTION: CAN YOU EVER BE COMPLETELY OBJECTIVE?

CHARACTER VOICE REQUIRES IMAGINATIVE LEAP INTO THE MIND OF ANOTHER PERSON LISTEN TO OTHERS; BECOME AWARE OF THEIR SPEECH PATTERNS, VOCABULARY HABITS, HABITS OF DICTION POTENTIAL FOR CONTRAST, IRONY, CONFLICT CHARACTER REVEALS THEMSELVES IN WHAT THEY CONSCIOUSLY EXPRESS, AND… …IN WHAT “SLIPS OUT,” AND… IN WHAT THEY DON’T SAY

Donald Barthelme, “The School” How does this narrator/character reveal himself in what he expresses? How does he reveal himself in what he does not express? What is unique about his diction? What point of view is the piece written in, and what are the benefits of using it for this piece? What is the tone and how does the writer maintain it? What do you think the writer wanted to achieve?

Writing Exercise Create a character and narrate a story in that person’s voice. Use first person point of view. Write in a conversational style Incorporate as many elements of voice as you can.

POINT OF VIEW FIRST PERSON o CENTRAL NARRATOR o PERIPHERAL NARRATOR SECOND PERSON o OFTEN THE READER o COULD BE AN ASSUMED PERSON (WHICH YOU WOULD MAKE CLEAR) THIRD PERSON o OMNISCIENT o LIMITED OMINISCIENT o OBJECTIVE (LIKE A REPORTER) ASK YOURSELF: WHAT DISTANCE TO I WANT BETWEEN THE NARRTOR/READER AND THE ACTION OR CHARACTERS?

Point of View Writing Exercise Have you ever read a novel in which each chapter is narrated by a different character? (The As I Lay Dying excerpt and the short story, “Frankenstein’s Daughter,” are examples,) Try it! Write a few paragraphs narrated from one character’s point of view. Then write a few more from another character’s point of view. Indicate the separate narrators with font style or by putting asterisks in between (i.e., ******) Your characters may either tell the same event, illuminating their different perspectives, OR they may have different, but loosely related, stories to tell The more you push the differences between characters, the more you will benefit from this exercise. For example, choose characters of different ages, genders, nationalities, races, political or moral outlooks, etc. Consult “Shared Documents” on my website

WORKING QUESTION WHY ARE SOME WRITERS SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF VOICE?