The Fiction Toolkit, Part 1
Shelly Lowenkopf -- March 1, 2006
The first of a series of excerpts from Shelly Lowenkopf's forthcoming book, The Fiction Writer's Tool Kit: Terms, Concepts, and Devices for Building a Better Story. In this article Shelly examines "voice," and a certain well known patron saint.
voice -- The sound a narrative generates within a reader; the pitch and timbre of the author's tone; an intended, implied, or betrayed attitude resident in written text.
An author is said to have found voice when an identifying, distinguishing tone, beyond style and content, can be identified in all material that writer produces.
Virtuoso musicians are recognized by the voicing through which they produce tone, either through an instrument or by vocal rendition. Actors convey voice through their movements, manipulation of time or projection of attitude. In their narratives, writers express voice, which hints at attitude and emotional involvement with the subjects and characters portrayed.
Voice begins to appear then gradually deepen within a writer in direct proportion to the writer's honesty in dealing with passions and philosophy, also to the degree that the writer has understanding of and empathy with the human condition. The writer who has found voice has recognized vital interior forces and concerns. Readers need not agree with a writer's particular passions or politics to recognize the qualities of that writer's voice.
Voice is often conflated or confused with style; voice is the personality of the writer resident in text.
Wile E. Coyote -- A scruffy-looking cartoon character, notable for the way, in chase of some quarry, he invariably manages to overextend himself. His agenda often causes him to overstep boundaries, most notably the edge of a steep escarpment, leaving him hovering for a dramatic moment over empty space before plummeting in obedience to the laws of gravity.
Wile E. Coyote is a distinct candidate for the role of Patron Saint of Characters; he is always in thrall of some plan or goal, most often a self-serving one. In pursuit of that goal, he may be counted upon to venture past the point of prudence. What a lovely way to describe character.
Shelly Lowenkopf's soon-to-be-published The Fiction Writer's Tool Kit: Terms, Concepts, and Devices for Building a Better Story. is more than a lexicon. It defines a conceptual language for thinking about fiction, providing the writer with the tools to raise the level of craftsmanship of his own work.