Activity

YEET. Here we are with the first of our weekly activities. Hopefully you all know–our annual theme is Prose, and that’s what these weekly activities/discussions/challenges will be working to improve.

This week, I want to look at Character Voice.

I don’t know how much you know about character voice, but I’ll define it basically:

Character Voice = The unique style, tone, and personality of the Point of View (POV) character that comes out through the prose.

 

The best part about POVs is that each character will give a different style and feel to the storytelling.

As I said—it’s their unique personality effecting the phrasing and wording of the sentences in between the dialogue and the action. Their indirect thoughts, as such.

 

Different characters see the same setting and situation very differently. Here’s two examples that I’ve written up from the POVs of two of my characters. They’re in different worlds, but still both similar situations: going into a tavern/restaurant/fast food place to order something. (I apologise in advance if you don’t like 1st person 😛 )

 

EXAMPLE ONE:

I pushed my sleeves up, cracking my knuckles for extra. Here’s to there being a special on today. I raised an imaginary glass in toast, then pushed through the door. The smell smacked me as soon as I stepped in and I groaned.

Why did fast food places have to smell so much like hamburgers? I paused, frowned at myself, then coughed. Well, obvious reasons, of course. Duh. But that’s all beside the point.

“Can I help you?” The voice snapped my gaze across to the lady standing behind the counter. Her hair looked like a ball of yarn after a dog had chewed it for at least half an hour—but supposedly that was fashionable and who was I to complain? It’s not like my sense of fashion was one-upping anyone except for a hobo. I squinted at her hair for a little too longer, before switching my gaze to her now-stiff smile.

“Have any specials today?” I dropped my backpack—carefully—onto the nearest chair. I had me a date with my dog, and she wasn’t going to be happy if I didn’t have hamburgers.

Dogs are like hedgehogs sometimes. Cute, but incredibly prickly in you pat them the wrong way. Or if you don’t buy them their favourite hamburger.

 

EXAMPLE TWO:

The smell of the dirty press of bodies hits me the instant I walk through the door of the Maestoso tavern.

I stop just inside the doorway, scanning across the shouting sea of unfamiliarity. The bar of the tavern is packed with figures, and there are tables in rows along the walls. Almost every seat full. So many bodies pressed together. So many faces that are here today and gone tomorrow. So many lives entangled into such a pattern of boredom that they come and get drunk just to liven things up a bit.

I let my gaze flit across the faces. There’s so much anger and hurt and fear, buried beneath flushed cheeks and raised mugs.

I tuck a springy piece of hair behind my ear and ease between two men at the bar, standing on tiptoes to see. I wave my hand to catch the barmaid’s attention, but she’s already walking toward me.

Her eyes narrow as she props her elbows on the bench top, leaning down to my height. “What can I get you today?”

I swallow down the bile churning in my throat as laughter echoes again behind me. “Could I have some water, please?”

 

You can learn a lot about those two characters just from those tiny snippets. The first guy is careless and humorous and distracted. The girl in the second section is thoughtful, timid, and uncertain in this situation and setting.

 

The activity: write a scene where one of your characters walks into a tavern/restaurant/fast food place/etc. to order food. The scene doesn’t have to be very long, but it should be long enough to really show the readers what the character is like solely through the character voice. Your snippet–though similar to everyone else’s–should be totally different because your character should have a strong, unique style and tone that comes through the writing.

 

@inspirewrite
@valtmy
@esther-sears
@parker
@caleb-e-king
@h-jones
@selah-chelyah
@writerpiper
@jessi-rae
@theswordinthebook
@thewirelessblade
@fctait
@faith_blum
@professorsjb
@spottedlivvie

NOTE: don’t worry about polishing your snippet. Just write a thing, and send it in. We’ll all understand typos and mistakes. Even the experts do them. 😉 This activity shouldn’t take you too long, so have fun!! (And don’t forget to write your novels)

And if I need to explain more about what Character Voice is, do feel free to ask. *salute*