Voice - What Does That Even MEAN?

Voice. Doesn't it sound sort of pretentious and indefinable? Does your writing
have a "voice"? Can "voice" be taught? Where does it come from? What exactly does
it even mean, really?

Voice in your writing - whether that's screenwriting, poetry, prose or non-fiction

writing like essays, memoirs or articles, refers to a particular, unique style in
the writing. It means that no one but you could have written the material in
question because it has a particular rhythm, point of view and flavor.

It's still a little ineffable until we think about writing examples which
(purposely) are totally devoid of "voice". When is the last time you read the
newspaper, for example? This is straight journalism - you aren't intended to
identify with the writer, just to glean the facts. What about National Geographic
Magazine? Anyone still read that besides the Wave-inatrix? Last month's article
about the Altiplano in Bolivia was fact-filled and...fact filled. Because, again,
in venues such as those, voice is not the point. I don't exactly want my doctor's
"voice" in his prescriptions, know what I mean? I want the facts. Same with the
grocery list. Or analytic piece in the Atlantic Monthly about whatever happened to
Hilary Clinton. Of course, there are brilliant non-fiction writers who lightly
combine voice with fact but let's set that aside for the moment for the sake of
simplicity. Ahem.

When writing prose, voice is indispensable. It is the delivery system for the
story, without which one is reading a third rate pulp romance novel. Does Danielle
Steele have a "voice"? Not so much. And, by the way, the Wave-inatrix feels pretty
confident that my theory that Steele employs a cadre of mini-Steeles who churn out
her books is not a myth - in the same way that Nancy Drew author Carolyn Keene was
like, in fact, eighteen people. But I digress.

So - what is voice? How do you know if you have one or not? Can you download one
on your iPod?

Voice is something that takes time to develop. The Rouge Wave is written in a
voice, is it not? Those who know the Wave-inatrix personally know that the voice
with which I write the Rouge Wave is not terribly different from my own. But it's
still a voice. And not the same voice I employ when I write scripts, short stories
or stern notes left behind for the Mini-W.

It is a conscious choice used to evoke a specific tone and reader reaction. But -
voice is also a paradox - it is both conscious and unconscious - it is who the
writer unapologetically is and it is also a way to evoke a specific reaction to
the writing. It is a tool and a gift. A scalpel and an aura. An eclair with cream
filling.

And that, dear Wavers, gets us down to the heart of the matter. How does one go
about obtaining a voice? So often, new writers and particularly new screenwriters
become, and rightly so, very pedantic about the craft of screenwriting itself. So
pedantic that they are more concerned about getting it right than just letting
loose and being themselves. If there's one thing most readers LOVE in a script -
it's voice. It's the writer who lets loose a bit and is fearless in the writing.

However, particularly relative to screenwriting, voice is dessert while execution

is the vegetables. By execution/broccoli I mean that voice will get you exactly
nowhere in a script if you don't have an excellent premise, tight structure,
proper action lines and unique characters with a distinct arc. So yes, you really
do need to nail the craft before you start popping wheelies with voice. But be
thinking about it now - be developing your voice alongside your craft skill set.
Who are you? We know that writers are liars, thieves, truth tellers and magicians.
We illuminate, we entertain, we provoke and we reflect ourselves back to
ourselves. We are living proof both that no two people are alike and yet - we are
all one.

Don't hold back - develop your voice and do it now. Because voice is indeed
something that cannot be taught - only unleashed.

Here is a very short list of fiction writers, in no time/date order, who have made
a living and a contribution to the medium with fearless VOICE.

Garrison Keillor
Raymond Chandler
Dave Eggers
Jonathan Safran Foer
TC Boyle
Stephen King
PG Wodehouse
Evelyn Waugh
Truman Capote
Flannery O'Connor
Sherman Alexie
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Tim O'Brien

And here is a very short list of screenwriters who have distinctive voices:

Quentin Tarrantino
Richard Linklater
John August
Chuck Palahniuk
Kevin Smith
Diablo Cody
Shane Black

So - what's your voice? Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going? What
is your opinion about things large and small like love, death, betrayal, growing
up, dope smoking, bike riding, mothers, fathers and easter egg hunts?

Don't make the mistake of trying to please everyone with your point of view.
Develop a voice that is totally distinctive. Just effing entertain us. And maybe
teach us a little something, too.