What is Writer Voice?

How do we recognise our Writer Voice?

It’s our fingerprint, it’s who we are and how we slip inside our character’s heads, how we reveal their inner thoughts and convey their emotions, their hopes and fears. We cannot escape our upbringing: things and people who’ve influenced us over the years, nor things we’ve seen and experienced whether in real life, through movies or that of reading books.

Eyes, too, are the widows to our souls and they also give soul to our writing. Hence, we are what we are, a complex mishmash of information. Whatever genre, whatever sub-genre, and whomever the characters, we as authors surrender to sense of time, sense of place and our voice/style unique to each and every one of us. People say, but I become a different person when I’m writing a novel, email, letter etc.. To some degree, that’s true, but getting to the psychology of it all, that’s why as writers we have to be careful our writer voice/style does not become author intrusion within a novel! By author intrusion I mean slipping out of character mode and our selves suddenly the narrator! In email/letter correspondence we may change tone and its content will reflect such, but our signature/writer voice is there as sure as the fingerprints on our keyboards.  

Take for instance, transition from a contemporary setting to historical backdrop. A leap through time is required, and although writer voice is our unique fingerprint, it should become slightly smudged by unfamiliar dialogue, social etiquette and customs of chosen period. Why? Because, 21^st century author has now relocated to the past, and has to adapt to chosen period or, the story may well sound and read as though 21^st century characters are cavorting in mere fancy dress. With a contemporary YA story, youthful character thought is required, but no matter how you put across your characters your writer voice/style will exist as was in another genre. That's why, if you've read thrillers written by a novelist you've read on a regular basis, then, that writer pens say a romance under different pseudonym, I bet you'll end up saying to yourself, "Well, If I didn't know better, I'd say this was writtin by So-and-So, it sounds like her." :)

So “Voice” is “Style”, but how do you know if you have it, and how can you see it?

Answer: You have it, and it’s unique to you unless tampered with by others. It’s how you paint pictures with words. Some writers abandon own voice and choose to try and mimic an author they admire, which usually ends in tears! Why? Because it’s a bit like trying to fit into a dress that neither fits nor suits the mind behind the pen!  ;)            

Forgive the ramble and any typos, please, it's off-the-cuff no edit, other than quick read through.