Hey, it’s Emily!
We’re getting close to wrapping up our Character Creation series! Incidentally, many of the topics we have already addressed in earlier blog posts this series will be quite relevant when discussing today’s topic: character voice.
What is Character Voice?
For writers, their character’s dialogue is not spoken aloud but written on a page. It’s hard to hear what a character sounds like when you’re just reading what they say. However, character voice doesn’t focus on auditory hearing but on mannerisms in how your character speaks. When your main characters have distinct voices, readers should be able to tell whose dialogue is whose even without dialogue tags (though you still want to use those), similar to how you can often recognize your own family and friend’s voices.
Character voice is important in developing your characters and providing characterization to your readers. Often, you can learn a lot about a person in real life based on how they speak, and it is just as true—if not more so—in writing. There are many aspects to consider when nailing down your character’s voice. Let’s take a look at 6 of them:
Personality
Personality is likely the aspect with the biggest effect on character voice yet also the aspect that encompasses the most space. Your characters’ traits will bleed into many parts of their voice, so as a writer you should do your utmost to understand your characters: their behavior, their motives.
For example, these traits may impact how loudly your character speaks. If they are a confident, reckless, or egotistical character they may often shout—which you can convey with exclamation points, dialogue tags, or even other character’s reactions to their voice. This may affect how often they speak as well. If this character has an overinflated ego, they may talk more often than other characters. Alternatively, a shy or modest character may speak less loudly and less often.
Personality could influence a character’s speaking rhythms as well. Consider this lengthy paragraph of dialogue from Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery:
“Now I'm going to imagine things into this room so that they'll always stay imagined. The floor is covered with a white velvet carpet with pink roses all over it and there are pink silk curtains at the windows. The walls are hung with gold and silver brocade tapestry. The furniture is mahogany. I never saw any mahogany, but it does sound SO luxurious. This is a couch all heaped with gorgeous silken cushions, pink and blue and crimson and gold, and I am reclining gracefully on it. I can see my reflection in that splendid big mirror hanging on the wall. I am tall and regal, clad in a gown of trailing white lace, with a pearl cross on my breast and pearls in my hair. My hair is of midnight darkness and my skin is a clear ivory pallor. My name is the Lady Cordelia Fitzgerald. No, it isn't—I can't make THAT seem real.”
The title character Anne has a very distinct voice. Not only does she talk often, due to her excitable personality and penchant for storytelling, yet she also frequently rambles in run-on sentences and self-interruptions because her imagination moves so quickly. Most readers would be able to discern that this is Anne’s dialogue based on these characteristics.
Besides speaking in run-on sentences and self-interruptions, there are other rhythms such as short, curt sentences, trailing off (whether in thought or nervousness), and ending sentences in questions. You can brainstorm many more on your own or find patterns in both book and real life examples. Just make sure to fit the speaking traits to your character’s personality traits.
Age
A character’s age is another big determiner of character voice. Between these three lines, which would you match to a five year old versus a fifteen year old versus a fifty year old?
“It’s been so wonderful to recoup from the stress lately, you know? I had to tell my mother to take a chill pill last week after the family fiasco, but I think it’s all settling down now.”
“No, I already went to the shopping store and gotted everything on my list, like cupcakes, balloons, and… um, actually would you give that back? That’s my chair.”
“I lowkey impressed my boss today by taking like half the extra shifts for this month. I’ve been making major bank at this place, so I figure I’ll be able to afford a new summer fit soon.”
Likely, you didn’t have much trouble. Based on vocabulary, grammar, slang, and priorities, readers can guess which dialogue matches up with each age group. Try paying attention to the way different age groups speak around you as well—your peers and parents.
For example, my grandpa often has “old man” sayings, such as “Well, how ‘bout them apples?” and “Cornbread and fat meat, c’mon let’s eat!” He also tells a lot of nursery rhymes and stories about our family history, so if I were to write a memoir about my grandpa, family members would know who I was writing about by dialogue alone and new readers would quickly catch on to his verbal mannerisms.
Culture
A character’s culture will also greatly affect their dialogue. Now, this could be something as simple as family culture—the inside jokes and slang specific to families, like how my family pronounces “New York” as “Nyerk” and “I love you” as “lulloo” after how I misspoke it as a kid—but, most often, culture refers to a person’s ethnic background and home region.
If your character comes from Kawasaki, Japan, they may use Japanese idioms, like “Ame futte ji katamaru” or “After the rain, the earth becomes firm”—the same way Americans say “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Furthermore, they may use Japanese names for different foods, like gyouza instead of potstickers. Where a character comes from can also affect how they behave, what they value, and how they make associations—all things that can come across in dialogue.
In some countries, gestures may have different meanings as well. In America people give a thumbs up as a “good job” or a “I’m doing well.” However, in Afghanistan and Greece, a thumbs up is very offensive and means something entirely different. When you plan to write a character who comes from a different region and cultural background, make sure you do your research!
But find a balance and don’t overdo it either. A person may come from Japan and be proud of their heritage, but that doesn’t mean they’ll wear their country’s flag as a t-shirt and talk about eating sushi and watching anime all the time. Learn the difference between accurately portraying someone’s culture versus using stereotypes as a crutch.
Finally, a person’s cultural background can inform their language and accent. Say a character comes from Germany and they often switch between speaking German and English, or have a lingering German accent. Alternatively, even people within the same country may have different accents. There’s a sharp difference between a southern drawl and a boston accent. Also, if you’re a fantasy writer, consider how you could invent your own cultures, languages, and accents!
Class
In many countries, people fall into either upper class, middle class, or lower class, and often these factors influence how a character speaks. Maybe a lower class citizen could never afford an education because she spent her whole childhood learning how to provide for her family and as a result doesn’t know that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Maybe an upper class citizen boasts about their wealth all the time and makes comments like “Mama and I plan to take one of our yachts out to Alamitos Bay this weekend.”
However, like with cultures, don’t rely on stereotypes when it comes to class. Not only could this be offensive, it could also be lazy writing. Test the limits! Maybe your upper class character didn’t want to rely on his parents' money and moved out at eighteen to get his own job and apartment. Maybe his wealth and how easily everything came to him growing up is an embarrassment and he never says anything to clue his friends in. Maybe your lower class character worked hard to save up money and receive scholarships and is now the most educated and eloquent member of her family.
Education
Similarly, a character’s dialogue could reflect their education—where and how long they studied, as well as how much care they gave their schooling. A character who received more education (or is just generally well-read) may use a wider vocabulary. An ordinary retail worker, however, is more likely to describe her boss as “lazy” than as “lackadaisical.” Fit the diction to the character and consider the words that are natural for them to use.
Consider these two examples from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. The first comes from the book’s antagonist, Fagin, who is a lower class thief with a limited education, whereas the second comes from Mr. Brownlow, a man who was privileged to have been born into high society and have access to many books.
“What a fine thing capital punishment is! Dead men never repent; dead men never bring awkward stories to light. Ah, it’s a fine thing for the trade! Five of ‘em strung up in a row, and none left to play booty, or turn white-livered!” —Fagin
“You say you are an orphan, without a friend in the world; all the inquiries I have been able to make, confirm the statement. Let me hear your story; where you come from; who brought you up; and how you got into the company in which I found you. Speak the truth, and you shall not be friendless while I live.” —Mr. Brownlow
Do you see the sharp contrast? Fagin uses words like “fine” and “awkward,” slang like “play booty” and “turn white-livered,” and abbreviations like “‘em” (instead of “them”) to indicate accent. Mr. Brownlow, on the other hand, uses words like “inquiries” and “confirm,” and his syntax—the order he arranges his words—is grammatically correct and quite formal. Furthermore, beyond getting a sense of each character’s class and education, readers can also clearly see their personalities shining through in this dialogue, with Fagin being selfish and cruel, and Mr. Brownlow being compassionate and generous. Good dialogue and character voice will be able to accomplish much characterization all at once.
Profession and Hobbies
Finally, a character’s profession or hobbies could be a big factor in their voice. Whatever they spend their time doing will often influence the way they speak and the knowledge they know. A baker may tell his son, “That girl is like stale cake, and not even the sweetest buttercream icing can hide her bad taste.” This type of simile would be expected from a baker, but less natural coming from a character without a background working in a bakery. Similarly, a person’s hobby may influence how they see and describe their life. Take this example from Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, where Waverly Jong—a girl pressured into chess tournaments as a child—thinks of her mother:
“That night, after the dinner, I lay in bed, tense. I was despairing over this latest failure, made worse by the fact that Rich seemed blind to it all. He looked so pathetic. So pathetic, those words! My mother was doing it again, making me see black where I once saw white. In her hands, I always became the pawn. I could only run away. And she was the queen, able to move in all directions, relentless in her pursuit, always able to find my weakest spots.”
Furthermore, a character’s profession and hobbies will affect the words they know. As an English major, I know the differences between stanzas and lines, how to describe nominalizations and phrasal verbs, and the characteristics of Shakespearean comedies versus romances. A civil engineering major, however, may be telling their friend about the structural integrity of an over-truss bridge as they cross it and notice the bridge deck’s support. Let your character’s skills and interests pervade their dialogue when it’s relevant, letting your character shine with what they know!
A Peasant and a Prince
Now, we return to Honey Heimsol. She is curious yet cautious, young, from a small village and born to a modest family of weavers, likely being well-read but having spent most of her time happily learning the family trade. During her travels, when she meets Prince Jonathan, a charming yet somewhat prideful boy who grew up in the lap of luxury, the two of them clash at first thanks to their vast differences. It might look something like this:
“Thanks, but no thanks,” said Honey. She quickly hid the tear at the bottom of her skirt, which she would have to mend later. In the meantime, she would not let this prissy boy look down on her further. “I’m just looking for my little brother and then I’ll be on my way back home.” She turned away, preparing to finish her march to the city’s library doors.
“Forgive my prior rudeness,” the boy replied with a slight bow and a grin. Honey glanced back towards him and held back a scoff, because even his teeth somehow sparkled in the sun’s rays. “I only saw that you seemed to be distressed and wished to extend my assistance.” His gaze followed her path. “Ah, see, some of our city’s tomes can be quite formidable. If you would like—”
“I know how to read,” Honey snapped. “Besides, I’m only looking for a map.”
“Splendid! I can be your map! I know my way around these walls more than I do my own home.” When Honey raised an eyebrow, comparing the boy’s flashy garments to the surrounding crowd’s simple attire, the boy laughed. “Don’t pretend you know everything about me based on my appearance. I quite enjoy exploring even the slums of my area, as uncouth as it can be at times.”
Hopefully this short exchange can give readers a sense of Honey and Jonathan’s characters, not just from the interaction as a whole but even the dialogue on its own. Don’t forget, though, that a character’s voice can come across in their narration as well and the ways they engage with the world around them. As always, find examples from your own favorite stories to better understand the technique of character voice!
We Would Love to Help
If you would like us to provide feedback on your characters’ voices, or any other element of your work-in-progress, please reach out on our website! At Honeycomb, we love storytelling and appreciate how important it is to collaborate with other writers and get extra eyes on pieces. Summer will draw to a close soon, and what better time to work on your novel than now? We can also answer any questions you have about our services on our Contact page or on our Instagram, so don’t be shy!
Till then, bee brilliant!
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