Default writing

Kindness · May 20, 2013

Although I avoid filtering, I don't write in deep POV, so I'd say that only 25-50% of the story relies on my character's voice.

The rest is mine. My character flavours the text but we're not right in his head (that kind of quasi-stream of consciousness narration just doesn't seem to suit my story somehow). But at the same time I'm not sure if it's a good idea to write high fantasy-esque contemporary fantasy in almost conversational English. I feel like I should bump up the formality a little to keep it from sounding like someone's high school dropout of a friend telling someone else a story, which might ruin the credibility of the narration.

So to cut this question short, what would you say is the "default" way of writing when you're not leaning completely on a character's voice? I'd like to learn at least that much so it's easier to know whether I'm being consistent.

Obviously the default is going to be influenced by my own personal vocabulary and my sense of rhythm but I know that every writing field has some basic rules to fall back on about the language to use. I'm not sure if I should try to sound journalistic or how intelligent my wording should be (i.e. in deep POV I could say "he took a shit in the top drawer of his boss's shelf"* but if I wasn't that close to my MC I'm not sure if I'd need to say defacated or emptied his bowels or what... although I do know that unless I was writing in the head of a child I wouldn't say "did a poo". I just don't know what the standard is for words and descriptions, etc. if I'm not in a character's head).

*Ew.

Kerosene · May 20, 2013

You find your own voice.

Kindness · May 20, 2013

What do you mean?

I don't have a default "voice", or at least when I'm writing I always tailor it for whatever group I'm targetting. It's how I choose what words I'm going to use.

I've always just assumed that your voice is something you can't do anything about and it's what distinguishes your attempts to write in different styles from anyone else's attempts to write in those styles.

It's why I was sort of hoping there's a default for non-voicy fiction (like in journalism -- you can tell whether someone's written for a tabloid or a broadsheet based on their language choices, and their "voice" as an editor will show up regardless of which one they choose).

Kerosene · May 20, 2013

Your voice is the style of writing that is both word choice and the usage of such words.

There's a narrator's voice, which can be distinctive, but your writer's voice is still active in the underlying structure.

What I'm saying is: There is no "default" voice/style for fantasy. We all have our own.

Filigree · May 20, 2013

Also, many writers have different 'voices' for each genre/type of story they write.

Kindness · May 20, 2013

Okay, I think I get it

Then how do I make sure my voice is the right voice for the story I'm writing? I don't think I'm skilled enough to produce stuff on par with someone like Ursula K Leguin. Obviously she's a master so she's had years to refine her voice, but still...

Should I just give up and write the way I write to you guys, but with livelier verbs?

benbenberi · May 20, 2013

Tell your story in the words and style that feel right to you. Don't stress about your "voice" -- that's an attribute of your writing that will be there regardless of how much you worry about it. Whatever comes out in the first draft, you can always change or refine it later on if you want. At this stage, over-thinking the "voice" aspect is probably not worth the brain-juice. Just write.

Kindness · May 20, 2013

Thanks

I'll try again. It's tough to shake this unease... somehow I feel like if I have a clearer idea of what I'm aiming for I can save myself a lot of trouble by the time I get to the end.

I'm worried I'll need to spend another couple months fixing a systematic mistake I've made that could've been avoided by learning something upfront. But if it's something I have to just feel out then I guess there's nothing to it

kuwisdelu · May 20, 2013

I suggest method acting.

RichardGarfinkle · May 20, 2013

John Crowley talks about stories having a moral voice. That is the story is told in a manner that renders judgements by its use of imagery and metaphor.

I've tended to use this idea to make sure that each story has its own voice. Ideally, the story has an implicit narrator (the voice telling the story) and an implicit audience (the person the story is being told to).

Using this method, one creates these two as invisible characters and considers the question of how the narrator would talk about the story to the audience.

Each story will have its own narrator / audience pairing, so each story will have unique qualities of voice.

Debbie V · May 21, 2013

I find that voice often comes with revision. As you write a scene consider these things: tone, pacing, mood. Choose the words that present the desired effect for each scene. A fourth element of voice is POV, but you seem to have already figured that out. For fantasy, you also must make sure your word choice fits your world.

As said above, it can help to create a character who is the narrator. When, where, why, how, and to whom is this narrator telling the story?

mpack · May 21, 2013

The narrative voice carries as much weight as any other characterization in your story. No default exists because each story needs a narrator suited to the telling. No one can give a single method of discovering that voice; different writers find it in different ways. Experiment and build the voice that works for you.

Sometimes the narrator might come across as breezy and conversational. Other times, you might employ a more distant narrator, disconnected from the story and unobtrusive to the reader. It all depends on the story you want to tell and the tone you set in the telling.

The narrator observes the action of the story from as close or as distant a vantage as you need with as much interest, or distinerest, as the tone of the story requires. Of course, in many ways, the narrative voice is the writer's voice, but no more than all of the characters have voices that reflect the writer. Developing a narrator isn't that dissimilar to developing any other character, even if they never walk on stage or have a name. They still speak your words to the audience.

How to do that? Practice. Experiment. Look at how your favorite writers give voice to the narrator. Recast a section of your work in first person from the point of view of a distant, objective witness to analyze what works and what doesn't when a clear character intrudes. Strip away what doesn't work and recast it back into third. And practice. Write. Discover your voices and develop the one that works to tell your story.

Default writing

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile

Kerosene

Your Pixie Queen

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile

Kerosene

Your Pixie Queen

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

Kindness

Back From My Self-Imposed Exile

kuwisdelu

Revolutionize the World

RichardGarfinkle

Second Edition and Second Laughter

Debbie V

Mentoring Myself and Others

mpack

Swooping is bad.