What Is Voice? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Voice definition.

Voice  (VOYss) is the opinion or attitude authors express in their writing, an aspect of literature that better connects the reader to the material. It’s also an element of the narrator’s  perspective , or what they bring to the piece based on their background, opinions, culture, and life experience. Essentially, voice is the personality of a piece of writing.

Voice  comes from the Latin term  vocem , which means “utterance or call.” Even though voice is usually meant to describe verbal communication, its literary usage describes the emulation of speech in writing.

Different Types of Voice

Outside of textbooks or other forms of research, writers need to have a distinct voice to captivate their readers. It’s gives an authentic feel to a written work and draws the reader in. The two types of voice that can be found in a  narrative  are author voice and character voice. While both set the  tone  of the story, they are distinct.

Author Voice

Everyone has a unique personality, and that personality is what creates an author’s unique voice. It’s determined by their background and world views, and they make it known through their stylistic choices, such as diction and syntax. How authors phrase their thoughts, whether they use foul language, and whether they’re casual or formal all comes together to form their voice. Oftentimes, an author’s voice is so distinctive that it can be recognized in a blind reading of their work.

Usually, an author will draw from their own lives when writing a story, which can influence character voice as well. Authors’ work in the context of their own experiences became a prominent discussion in 2015 when the  #OwnVoices movement  surfaced. #OwnVoices refers to a piece of writing wherein the author shares the main character’s race, gender, disability, and/or identity—specifically, characters from marginalized groups. This movement surfaced because of how frequently stereotypes appeared in works where authors inaccurately describes experiences distinctly separate from their own. #OwnVoices also promotes stories whose characters’ lives are derived from real-life experiences, as well as works that support marginalized groups.

Character Voice

Like the author’s voice, characters’ voices impart their personality, thought process, and perspective. The author decides whether a character will be funny, shy, ambitious, bossy, or intelligent, then makes it known through the character’s dialogue and characterization.

Dialogue is an effective way to bring out a character’s voice through the words they say, as well as the grammar and structure the writer uses to present those words. For instance, if the character is shy, the author might use short  sentences  that feature ellipses because the character tends to drop off at the ends of sentences.

Another way to establish character voice is through their  characterization . Characters get put into unique situations based on the story’s  plot , and the actions they take reveal who they are and what their voice is. If a character goes to a friend’s house, for example, and is surprised by the family’s kindness, readers will know the character’s background is likely one unfamiliar with kind adults. Thus, their voice comes off as reserved or even distrustful.

Voice and Other Literary Terms

Voice vs.  Point of View

The narrator’s socioeconomic background determines the voice of a piece, whereas whoever’s telling the story determines the point of view. Pronouns such as  I, me,  and  my  mean the piece is written in first person;  you  and  your  indicate second person; and  he, she, they, them,  and  their  are associated with third person.

The narrator’s point of view affects the work’s voice based on the knowledge the narrator has. With first person, a written work can almost seem like the narrator’s diary because readers are experiencing their inner thoughts. So, the work’s voice will be personal and impart the narrator’s unique perspective. Third person—the most common point of view in fiction—allows the narrator to tune into multiple characters’ thoughts and emotions. A work written in third person can have a less personal voice, as the narrator is observing from outside the situation rather than being a part of it. The voice may even change throughout the piece, as some characters might be more formal or have different backgrounds than other characters.

Voice vs. Persona

Character voice is related to persona in that the latter refers to how the author approaches the story.  Persona  comes from Latin, where it meant “the actor’s mask.” So, in a literary context, persona is considered the mask an author wears to properly convey how the story’s events are experienced. Persona, then, is an element that affects both the author’s voice and the character’s.

Writers Known for Their Voice

These authors are known for popularizing a unique style of voice in literature.

  • Charles Dickens: Because of his background as a lower-class, uneducated factory worker who championed various social reforms, Dickens’s voice is one critical of the socioeconomic class structure in Victorian England.
  • William Faulkner: Faulkner often utilizes stream of consciousness to create more authentic character voices, as the style focuses on natural thought processes rather than overly analytical narration.
  • James Joyce: Like Faulkner, Joyce was a modernist who utilized stream of consciousness narration to show his characters’ fragmented internal voices. Joyce’s own voice was steeped in the formality characteristic of the modernist movement.
  • Edgar Allen Poe: A prolific writer in the Gothic style, Poe’s voice is often dark and melodramatic, communicating feelings of melancholy, longing, and apprehension.
  • Hunter S. Thompson: The creator of “gonzo” journalism, wherein Thompson made himself the protagonist in his investigative reporting, Thompson’s voice was often manic and suspicious—due in no small part to his extensive drug use.
  • Mary Shelley: In her most famous work,  Frankenstein , the voices of the titular scientist and his Creature are laced in paranoia, anger, and regret.
  • Mark Twain: Throughout his literary works, Twain uses a very  colloquial  voice to convey his characters’ backgrounds and influences.

Examples of Voice in Literature

1. J.D. Salinger,  The Catcher in the Rye

Salinger’s famous work follows protagonist Holden Caulfield, a disillusioned teenager whose cynical voice is portrayed through a  vernacular  that befits his young age and rejection of polite society. Here, Holden talks about his deceased brother Allie:

I know he’s dead! Don’t you think I know that? I can still like him, though, can’t I?
Just because somebody’s dead, you don’t just stop liking them, for God’s sake—especially if they were about a thousand times nicer than the people you know that’re alive and all.

This first-person account of Holden’s troubled life is made more captivating and authentic by his dialogue. He tends to say “and all” at the end of his sentences, uses contractions, and has a pessimistic view on life. This informal, often flippant voice is strongly associated with teenagers, making Holden feel real and relatable to readers.

2. Jodi Picoult,  House Rules

In this novel, a boy with Asperger’s syndrome named Jacob is accused of murdering his tutor. A detective brings him in for questioning, and in the middle of the conversation, Jacob notices the clock and begins to stress about missing his favorite show:

Without any traffic it takes sixteen minutes to get from the police station to my house. That means we will not get home till 4:33, and CrimeBusters begins at 4:30. I stand up, both of my hands fluttering in front of my chest like hummingbirds, but I don’t even care anymore about trying to stop them. It feels like the moment on the TV show when the perp finally caves in and falls to the metal table, sobbing with guilt. I want to be watching that TV show, instead of living it. “Are we done now?” I ask. “Because I really have to go.”

Despite the serious situation, Jacob is fixated on not being able to follow his routine. Through this characterization, Picoult shows the reader how important structure is to Jacob. His  sentences  are matter of fact and honest, which gives him a methodical, if obsessive, voice.

3. Jane Austen,  Sense and Sensibility

Upon learning that Willoughby is marrying someone other than Marianne, who he has overtly flirted with and lead on, Lady Middleton makes her disapproval known:

Lady Middleton expressed her sense of the affair about once every day, or twice if the subject occurred very often, by saying, “It is very shocking indeed!” and by the means of this continual though gentle vent was able not only to see the Miss Dashwoods from the first without the smallest emotion, but very soon to see them without recollecting a word of the matter; and having thus supported the dignity of her own sex and spoken her decided censure of what was wrong in the other, she thought herself at liberty to attend to the interest of her own assemblies and therefore determined (though rather against the opinion of Sir John) that as Mrs. Willoughby would at once be a woman of elegance and fortune, to leave her card with her as soon as she married.

Eloquent is the best word to describe Austen’s voice. This entire paragraph, written in third person, is one sentence, yet its syntax is easy to follow. Austen’s word choice is era appropriate, instantly grounding the reader in the societal context of the time in which the story takes place.

Further Resources on Voice

This article  by ThoughtCo. lists several quotes that explain a unique element of voice in writing.

Literary Voice: The Calling of Jonah  argues the value of literary voice and analyzes speaking in writing.

Related Terms

  • Point of view

what is voice literature

  • Literary Terms
  • Definition & Examples
  • When & How to Develop a Voice

I. What is Voice?

In literature, the voice expresses the narrator or author’s emotions, attitude, tone and point of view through artful, well thought out use of word choice and diction. A voice may be formal or informal; serious or lighthearted; positive or negative; persuasive or argumentative; comical or depressed; witty or straightforward; objective or subjective—truly, voice can reflect any and all feelings and perspectives. A work’s voice directly contributes to its tone and mood; helping the writer create the desired effect he wants his words to have on readers.

A piece of literature’s voice is one of its most defining and important features and can completely change the way a story is read and received. For example, you could tell the same story in two ways; on version through a very positive narrator, and the other through a very negative narrator, and the results would be very, very different. Likewise, you could have two different authors or narrators addressing the same subject—the voice will vary depending on their feelings about that subject, which will in turn affect the way it is presented.

Last, it’s important to distinguish between literary voice as described above, and the sound of someone’s physical voice. The sound of someone’s voice is just a physical characteristic, whereas a literary voice is a part of writing and storytelling.

II. Examples of Voice

Here are some examples of greetings from different voices:

  • Good day, m’lady
  • Good day, madame
  • Greetings, sir
  • What’s up, dude?
  • Hello there
  • ‘Ello gov’na
  • G’day, mate

Each greeting has the same basic meaning but is expressed in a completely different voice. Several factors contribute to each voice—for example, some are formal while some are informal; some show an accent; some use slang; and some even use different languages.

Now, read these two sentences:

The sun is a glorious glowing orb of golden heat and light, giving life to everything it touches. *** The sun is a flaming ball of fire and blinding light, burning anything that’s under its rays for too long.

The voice of the first sentence is pleasant and appreciative, expressing that the sun is a wonderful thing. The second’s voice carries the opposite attitude; expressing that the sun is harsh and damaging. The two distinct voices can influence how we perceive the sun.

III. Types of Voice

Voice is determined by either the person telling the story (the narrator) or the person writing the story (the author), and can be further defined by the voices of characters in a story. Basically, it’s important to remember that a work’s voice is not always reflective of the author’s own opinions or attitudes.

a. Narrator’s voice

The narrator’s voice expresses the attitude of the person who is actually directly telling us the story. It is partially determined by the narrator’s role in the story ( narrative style)—whether the narrator is part of the story or telling it from an outside perspective obviously affects his attitude and the way he’ll express himself. For instance, a first person narrator (a character in the story narrating from their point of view, using I, me and we ) may be more invested in what happens than a third objective person narrator (a narrator who is not a character in the story and doesn’t have a stake in what’s happening). But from whatever point of view, the narrator is the one who readers hear the story from, and so his voice is what influences the entire way readers experience the work.

b. Author’s voice

The author’s voice directly reflects the attitude of the author himself. Even when a work has a narrator, an author’s voice can certainly come through. That said, an author’s voice tends to be most prominent in nonfiction, where a writer is often directly expressing his own knowledge and opinion. News sources provide great examples of authors’ voices—though the news should really be neutral, it often clearly shows the voice of the network or the writer. For instance, many would say that Fox News has a conservative voice and that CBS has a more liberal voice.

c. Character Voices

An author may also choose to show the voices of characters in addition to the voice of a third person narrator, or the narrator may be a character within the story. So, with this technique, readers are able to understand the attitudes of those who are direct part of the story. Sometimes, an author may tell a story from the perspectives of several characters, using multiple voices that approach the same events with different attitudes.

IV. Importance of Voice

As mentioned above, the voice is an essential part of the way a story or piece of writing is delivered. Works of literature need voices to help them stand out in style and deliver stories and content in the most effective way possible.

V. Examples of Voice in Literature

In Susanna Kaysen’s memoir Girl, Interrupted we get to experience a story from a very unique perspective—that of the author, who is actually writing about her time as a patient in psychiatric hospital. The voice of the story is unique in that it reflects the author’s attitude about the events, but the author is also the real-life protagonist of the story. Here, Susanna recounts her appointment with a psychiatrist:

“You need a rest,” he announced. I did need a rest, particularly since I’d gotten up so early that morning in order to see this doctor, who lived out in the suburbs. I’d changed trains twice. And I would have to retrace my steps to get to my job. Just thinking of it made me tired. “Don’t you think?” He was still standing in front of me. “Don’t you think you need a rest?”

Here, Susanna’s voice is almost misleading to the audience—in fact, she is expressing that she thinks she needs a rest because she had a long morning. But knowing it is a psychiatrist asking her, we know that Susanna is having psychological issues, and that the rest he speaks of is actually a rest in a psychiatric facility.

One of the kookiest voices in literature comes from Dr. Seuss, known for his unruly rhyme patterns, made up words and overall silly voice. In his beloved classic The Cat in the Hat, Doctor Seuss tells his story with three voices—the children, the fish, and the Cat in the Hat. Here are two stanzas , one showing the fish’s voice, one showing the Cat’s:

our fish said, ‘no! no! make that cat go away! tell that cat in the hat you do NOT want to play. he should not be here. he should not be about. he should not be here when your mother is out!’   ‘now! now!  have no fear. have no fear!’ said the cat. ‘my tricks are not bad,’ said the cat in the hat. ‘why, we can have lots of good fun, if you wish, with a game that i call up-up-up with a fish!’

On top of the author’s overall whimsical voice, we get to hear from two of the characters, who though speaking to the same issue, are very different and express opposite attitudes. The first voice is that of the fish, who is stern and serious, warning the children that they should not play with the Cat; the second is that of the Cat; lighthearted and dismissive, telling everyone not to worry and that they should definitely play with him. Dr Seuss uses these two distinct voices to help show the difficult situation the kids are in—one voice says play, the other says don’t!

VI. Examples in Pop Culture

In the 2015 film Room , a mother and her five year old child are prisoners inside their captor’s shed. Ma, the mother, has been there for seven years, while Jack, her son, has never left ‘Room’—Ma has taught Jack that Room is the whole world, and there’s nothing outside of it. Throughout the film, we get to hear some of Jack’s explanations about life in Room:

Room (2015) - power's back, got breakfast, reflections, destroying his car, back to bed with Ma (08)

Here, you can see Ma depressed in bed while hearing Jack speak about room. His voice (his literary voice, not the literal sound of his voice) reflects his surprisingly positive perspective on the world. Through Jack’s commentary we understand how Ma has been able to endure this terrible situation—Jack doesn’t know any other home, and sees the best in Room. Jack sees the good in the things where we might see problems, like a bent spoon and a toilet in the centre of a home. His innocent voice is what makes the film slightly less painful.

George R.R. Martin is well known for storytelling through multiple characters and voices in his novels, and the same goes when he adapts the stories for the TV series Game of Thrones. Voice can be harder to express on screen, but Game of Thrones still finds a way to replicate what Martin does on the page. For instance, this clip shows us the voices of several groups of characters during a tragic event:

Game Of Thrones S03E09 Red Wedding Scene

Through different perspectives during these infamous events of the Red Wedding, we experience the voice of vengeance from Lord Frey (who leads the massacre), the voice of desperation from the Starks as they are killed one by one (the current victims), the voices of arrogance from the knights who kill the wolf, and the voice of hopelessness from Arya (who sees what’s happening from the outside), and the voice of reason from the Hound (who takes Arya away).

VII. Conclusion

In the end, it’s always important to think about the voice of your writing. It determines so much of how a story works, from the way it is told to how the reader understands and feels about the characters and events. The voice is what determines a work’s mood and tone, and ultimately what distinguishes one story or piece of writing from the next!

VIII. Related Terms

A narrator is the person telling the story. In literature, the voice is not the narrator himself, but rather every narrator has a voice.

The mood of a story is the overall feeling that it gives off to its readers. A story’s voice helps contribute to its mood.

List of Terms

  • Alliteration
  • Amplification
  • Anachronism
  • Anthropomorphism
  • Antonomasia
  • APA Citation
  • Aposiopesis
  • Autobiography
  • Bildungsroman
  • Characterization
  • Circumlocution
  • Cliffhanger
  • Comic Relief
  • Connotation
  • Deus ex machina
  • Deuteragonist
  • Doppelganger
  • Double Entendre
  • Dramatic irony
  • Equivocation
  • Extended Metaphor
  • Figures of Speech
  • Flash-forward
  • Foreshadowing
  • Intertextuality
  • Juxtaposition
  • Literary Device
  • Malapropism
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Parallelism
  • Pathetic Fallacy
  • Personification
  • Point of View
  • Polysyndeton
  • Protagonist
  • Red Herring
  • Rhetorical Device
  • Rhetorical Question
  • Science Fiction
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
  • Synesthesia
  • Turning Point
  • Understatement
  • Urban Legend
  • Verisimilitude
  • Essay Guide
  • Cite This Website

Definition of Voice

A voice in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself herself into words, and provides a sense that the character is real person, conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey. In simple words, it is an author’s individual writing style or point of view .

When a writer engages personally with a topic, he imparts his personality to that piece of literature. This individual personality is different from other individual personalities, which other writers put into their own works. Thus, voice is a unique personality of a literary work. Depending upon the type of work, authors may use a single voice, or multiple voices.

Types of Voice

Though there are many types of voice, two are most commonly used:

  • Author’s Voice – Author’s voice is the writer’s particular style, which he employs in a particular story , or piece of writing.
  • Character ’s Voice – A character’s voice is the voice of the main character, how he views the world. It is a common narrative voice used with first and third person points of view. Here, the author uses a conscious person as a narrator in the story.

Examples of Voice in Literature

Example #1: various works (by multiple authors).

Stream of Consciousness Voice

Stream of Consciousness is a narrative voice that comprises the thought processes of the characters. James Joyce ’s novel , Ulysses , and William Faulkner ’s novels, As I Lay Dying , and The Sound and Fury , are modes of stream of consciousness narrative.

Example #2: To Kill a Mockingbird (By Harper Lee)

Character Voice

harper lee ’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a very good example of a character’s voice, in which the character Scout narrates the whole story. Though she is an adult, she tells her story from her childhood’s point of view. When she grows older, her language becomes more sophisticated. Scout uses first‑person narrative to create a realistic sense, enabling the audience to notice the child is growing up. Her dialogue allows readers to hear the language of younger Scout. Also, it enables the readers to feel the voice of an adult in her actions and thinking.

Example #3: The Tell-Tale Heart (By Edgar Allan Poe)

Unreliable Voice

Edgar Allan Poe ’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart is an example of first‑person unreliable narrative voice, which is significantly unknowledgeable, biased, childish, and ignorant, which purposefully tries to deceive the readers. As the story proceeds, readers notice the voice is unusual, characterized by starts and stops. The character directly talks to the readers, showing a highly exaggerated and wrought style. It is obvious that the effectiveness of this story relies on its style, voice, and structure, which reveal the diseased state of mind of the narrator.

Example #4: Frankenstein (By Mary Shelley)

Epistolary Voice

Epistolary narrative voice makes use of letters and documents to convey the message and reveal the story. It may use multiple persons’ voices, or there could be no narrator at all, as the author may have gathered different documents into a single place to shape the story. For instance, Mary Shelley , in her novel Frankenstein , employs epistolary form, in which she uses a sequence of letters to express the voice of her narrator – a scientific explorer, Captain Robert Walton. He attempts to reach the North Pole, where he meets Victor Frankenstein , and then records his experiences and confessions.

Example #5: Old Man and the Sea (By George R. R. Martin)

Third-person, Subjective Voice

Third person narrative voice employs a third‑person point of view. In a third‑person subjective voice, a narrator describes feelings, thoughts, and opinions of one or more characters. Hemingway’s novel Old Man and the Sea , and George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel A Song of Ice and Fire, present examples of third person subjective voice.

Example #6: Hills Like White Elephants (By Ernest Hemingway)

Third-person Objective Voice

In a third person objective voice, a narrator narrates the story without showing the character’s feelings and thoughts, and gives unbiased and objective points of view. A typical example of this voice is Ernest Hemingway ’s Hills Like White Elephants .

Function of Voice

While identifying the function of voice in literature, it is necessary to consider the narrator’s degree of objectivity, reliability, and omniscience. Voice shows whose eyes readers see the narrative through, which gives a personality to a literary piece. Moreover, a strong voice helps make every word count, sets up consistency, and most importantly grabs the attention of the readers.

Related posts:

  • Active Voice
  • Passive Voice
  • Lift Every Voice and Sing

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The Writer's Voice in Literature and Rhetoric

  • An Introduction to Punctuation
  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York

In rhetoric and literary studies, voice is the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator . As discussed below, voice is one of the most elusive yet important qualities in a piece of writing . 

"Voice is usually the key element in effective writing," says teacher and journalist Donald Murray. "It is what attracts the reader and communicates to the reader. It is that element that gives the illusion of speech ." Murray continues: "Voice carries the writer's intensity and glues together the information that the reader needs to know. It is the music in writing that makes the meaning clear" ( Expecting the Unexpected: Teaching Myself--and Others--to Read and Write , 1989).

Etymology From the Latin, "call"

Quotes on Writer's Voice

Don Fry: Voice is the sum of all strategies used by the author to create the illusion that the writer is speaking directly to the reader from the page.

Ben Yagoda: Voice is the most popular metaphor for writing style, but an equally suggestive one may be delivery or presentation, as it includes body language, facial expression, stance, and other qualities that set speakers apart from one another.

Mary McCarthy: If one means by style the voice , the irreducible and always recognizable and alive thing, then of course style is really everything.

Peter Elbow: I think voice is one of the main forces that draws us into texts . We often give other explanations for what we like ('clarity,' 'style,' 'energy,' 'sublimity,' 'reach,' even 'truth'), but I think it's often one sort of voice or another. One way of saying this is that voice seems to overcome ' writing ' or textuality . That is, speech seems to come to us as listener; the speaker seems to do the work of getting the meaning into our heads. In the case of writing, on the other hand, it's as though we as reader have [to] go to the text and do the work of extracting the meaning. And speech seems to give us more sense of contact with the author.

Walker Gibson: The personality I am expressing in this written sentence is not the same as the one I orally express to my three-year-old who at this moment is bent on climbing onto my typewriter. For each of these two situations, I choose a different ' voice ,' a different mask, in order to accomplish what I want accomplished.

Lisa Ede: Just as you dress differently on different occasions, as a writer you assume different voices in different situations. If you're writing an essay about a personal experience, you may work hard to create a strong personal voice in your essay. . . . If you're writing a report or essay exam, you will adopt a more formal, public tone. Whatever the situation, the choice you make as you write and revise . . . will determine how readers interpret and respond to your presence.

Robert P. Yagelski: If voice is the writer's personality that a reader 'hears' in a text, then tone might be described as the writer's attitude in a text. The tone of a text might be emotional (angry, enthusiastic, melancholy), measured (such as in an essay in which the author wants to seem reasonable on a controversial topic), or objective or neutral (as in a scientific report). . . . In writing, tone is created through word choice, sentence structure, imagery, and similar devices that convey to a reader the writer's attitude. Voice, in writing, by contrast, is like the sound of your spoken voice: deep, high-pitched, nasal. It is the quality that makes your voice distinctly your own, no matter what tone you might take. In some ways, tone and voice overlap, but voice is a more fundamental characteristic of a writer, whereas tone changes upon the subject and the writer's feelings about it.

​Mary Ehrenworth and Vicki Vinton: If, as we believe, grammar is linked to voice, students need to be thinking about grammar far earlier in the writing process . We cannot teach grammar in lasting ways if we teach it as a way to fix students' writing, especially writing they view as already complete. Students need to construct knowledge of grammar by practicing it as part of what it means to write, particularly in how it helps create a voice that engages the reader on the page.

Louis Menand: One of the most mysterious of writing’s immaterial properties is what people call ' voice .' . . . Prose can show many virtues, including originality, without having a voice. It may avoid cliché , radiate conviction, be grammatically so clean that your grandmother could eat off it. But none of this has anything to do with this elusive entity the 'voice.' There are probably all kinds of literary sins that prevent a piece of writing from having a voice, but there seems to be no guaranteed technique for creating one. Grammatical correctness doesn’t insure it. Calculated incorrectness doesn’t, either. Ingenuity, wit, sarcasm , euphony, frequent outbreaks of the first-person singular—any of these can enliven prose without giving it a voice.

  • AP English Exam: 101 Key Terms
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  • What Is Tone In Writing?
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  • Writers on Writing: The Art of Paragraphing
  • Point of View in Grammar and Composition
  • What Is Composition? Definition, Types, and Examples
  • The Difference Between an Article and an Essay
  • style (rhetoric and composition)
  • Interior Monologues
  • What Are the Different Types and Characteristics of Essays?
  • A Guide to All Types of Narration, With Examples
  • Writer Purpose in Rhetoric and Composition
  • Invented Ethos (Rhetoric)
  • What Is Academese?
  • Definition and Examples of Rhetorical Stance

Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of voice.

Voice in literature is the individual style in which a certain author writes his or her works. Voice includes many different literary devices and stylistic techniques, including syntax , semantics, diction , dialogue , character development, tone, pacing, and even punctuation. Though the definition of voice can feel like a somewhat nebulous concept, voice is integral to appreciating a piece of literature. Authors are generally thought to have a unique voice that appears across their entire oeuvre, even if they change from one genre to another.

Common Examples of Voice

Each of us has a literal voice that is different than anyone else’s. Not only does it sound different; we also use specific speech patterns, vocabulary, inflections, turns of phrase, and so on that makes our voice recognizable and unique. We become accustomed to the regularity and uniqueness of the voices of loved ones and famous people alike. Those who are adept at impressions can pick out the way that a person uses his or her voice in that unique way. Consider the fact that many people, when they read the following lines, think of Martin Luther King’s specific and unique voice delivering these words:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!

Significance of Voice in Literature

Though voice sometimes may seem hard to define and distinguish from one author to another, there is a scientific way to research a unique author’s voice. Developed in the late 1800s by Polish philosopher Wincenty Lutosławski, there is a technique called stylometry meant to define the linguistic style of a particular writer. Lutosławski created this method originally to establish a chronology of Plato’s works, but it has been used in many different ways. For example, some literary scholars doubted the provenance of William Shakespeare’s works, wondering if he wrote all of them or if they should be attributed to other writers of his day, such as Christopher Marlowe. A thorough analysis of the voice via the methods of stylometry proved that all of Shakespeare’s works that are attributed to him were indeed written by him; the voice was consistent.

Indeed, just as each human being has a unique voice, so too does each writer have a unique voice in their works of literature. Some of these are more distinct than others; below, you will find some of the most famously unique literary voices in all of history.

Examples of Voice in Literature

ROMEO: But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she: Be not her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.

( Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare’s works are characterized by many factors, such as his penchant for iambic pentameter , metaphor , and deep themes of love, envy, greed, and vengeance. Those who applied stylometry methods to Shakespeare’s works found a certain consistency in word usage, sentence length, and the arrangement of words in a line. Though other writers of his time used similar techniques, there is simply no writer like Shakespeare.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.”

(“The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe)

Edgar Allen Poe used many macabre, dark, and mysterious elements in his writing. The central plot of his famous poem “The Raven” is a narrator who goes incrementally madder as he thinks on his lost love and contemplates a raven who will not leave him alone. There is often a sense of creepiness that invades his works of literature, but Poe is also amazingly adept with meter and rhyme . His poetry often does not stick to more common meters such as Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter, but instead experiments with more rolling rhythms and differing line lengths.

…and Gibraltar as a girl where I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.

( Ulysses by James Joyce)

James Joyce’s style varied wildly from one text to another, and yet even as his style evolved, his authorial voice is consistent. The above excerpt is the very final part of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy that ends Joyce’s epic masterpiece Ulysses . Joyce often experimented with stream of consciousness writing, and pushed the bounds of what could be considered a sentence. There is a certain exuberance on display in the above excerpt that makes it a beautiful example of voice.

‘Four reales.’ ‘We want two Anis del Toro.’ ‘With water?’ ‘Do you want it with water?’ ‘I don’t know,’ the girl said. ‘Is it good with water?’ ‘It’s all right.’ ‘You want them with water?’ asked the woman. ‘Yes, with water.’ ‘It tastes like liquorice,’ the girl said and put the glass down. ‘That’s the way with everything.’ ‘Yes,’ said the girl. ‘Everything tastes of liquorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.’

(“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway)

Ernest Hemingway has one of the most distinct voice examples in all of literature, though it’s not because of the way he embellished his sentences. Instead, it’s for stripped down way he writes a story, focusing only on the most important details and doing away with most adjectives, adverbs, and even conjunctions. Hemingway’s work often deals in subtext rather than saying everything outright. Though another writer might not choose to highlight the above dialogue, it’s clear that these simple sentences have more weight behind them than Hemingway is willing to show the reader right off.

Amaranta felt a mysterious trembling in the lace on her petticoats and she tried to grasp the sheet so that she would not fall down at the instant in which Remedios the Beauty began to rise. Úrsula, almost blind at the time, was the only person who was sufficiently calm to identify the nature of that determined wind and she left the sheets to the mercy of the light as she watched Remedios the Beauty waving goodbye in the midst of the flapping sheets that rose up with her, abandoning with her the environment of beetles and dahlias and passing through the air with her as four o’clock in the afternoon came to an end, and they were lost forever with her in the upper atmosphere where not even the highest-flying birds of memory could reach her.

( One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez)

Gabriel García Márquez is famous for being part of the generation of Latin American writers who worked with magical realism. His style allows for supernatural things to occur without any characters being overly surprised that they’re happening. García Márquez often writes long, beautiful sentences, in contrast to Hemingway’s short, sharp sentences.

Test Your Knowledge of Voice

1. Which of the following statements is the best voice definition? A. A style in which an author writes a particular book, and which varies greatly depending on the book. B. The consistent way in which an author writes across his or her entire body of works. C. The way a narrator presents a plot.

2. Which of the following literary devices is not a part of the author’s voice? A. Setting B. Grammar C. Syntax

3. Consider the following quote:

TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

Considering the example of voice in this quote, which of the following authors excerpted above do you think wrote it?

A. William Shakespeare B. Edgar Allen Poe C. Ernest Hemingway

The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey

List of Voice Types in Literature

Annie Sullivan

How to Write Prose Commentary

Every voice in literature is as unique as the author. It is the way you sound, in a sense taking your verbal tone and translating it to paper. More specifically, voice is an author's attitude toward the outside world. A writer's diction, tone and sentence structure work together to create a writing style recognizable by readers. As a writer, you have the power to create your own voice with which you can connect to readers.

Understanding Literary Voice

The literary voice is the lens or viewpoint from which a story is told. Writers use this storytelling device to draw readers into the narrative. It helps you, as the writer, include descriptive detail and extra information without distracting from the plot or topic. Choice of literary voice depends on intent and the tone you wish to set. Examples of voice in writing can be seen in The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien used mystical words and elaborate scenic descriptions to create a well traveled, fantastical voice.

Point of View

Understanding the types of voice in writing helps you decide how to approach a story. Three main points of view that affect a reader's perception of an author's voice are first person, second person and third person.

First Person. This perspective uses a front row seat to draw the reader in. It uses pronouns such as "I", "me" and "my" to create a personal connection to the reader. Novels such as "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison and "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn are written in first person, taking the reader inside the mind of the main character.

Second Person. This point of view aims to motivate people or provide advice for self-improvement, or in novels sometimes allows readers to choose their own endings. It creates a conversational voice, as though the author is speaking directly to the reader. Works such as "You Being Beautiful" by Dr. Oz and "The Abominable Snowman" by R.A. Montgomery use the second person perspective.

Third Person. This perspective is common when the narrative voice is used. Pronouns such as "he," "she" or "it" give the reader the role of an observer. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry use this perspective.

Formal and Informal

An author conveys the professional nature of the work using either a formal or an informal voice.

Formal voice uses third person to offer reader information on a topic. This voice most often applies to essays or job applications, but appears in nonfiction literature, such as biographies or history. Abbreviations, contractions and slang are not used.

Informal voice uses any point of view, allowing the author more freedom in the structure of the writing. Contractions and abbreviations are used. Most novels, such as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," use this voice as it provides a more welcoming atmosphere for casual readers.

Finding Your Voice

Every writer develops his own style, occasionally without realizing it. You create your voice by first deciding what tone benefits your writing purpose. You might write a college essay about the pros and cons of skydiving, with a goal to express the dangers while conveying how it can be fun. You want your voice to be serious, but with a humorous edge to keep readers engaged. Paying attention to your tone, word choice and mechanics can help you achieve this.

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  • Aims Community College: Tools for Writing: Points of View

A product of the Montana upbringing, Annie Sullivan has written on education since 2007. However, her first publications appeared in a local newspaper in 2004. Sullivan received her educator license in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Montana.

What Voice Means in Writing

The Difference Between Author Voice and Narrator's Voice

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In fiction writing, the term "voice" has two different meanings. The author's voice refers to a writer's style, the quality that makes their writing unique. A character's voice is the speech and thought patterns of characters in a narrative. The latter voice is one of the most vital elements of a story for readers of fiction.

The Author's Voice: A Writer's Unique Identifier

A writer's tone, choice of words, selection of subject matter, and even punctuation make up the authorial voice. How an author writes conveys their attitude, personality, and character. The author's voice is often so distinctive that it's possible to identify the author by merely reading a selection of their work. Hunter S. Thompson is perhaps one of the best examples of this. His influential, inimitable "gonzo" style has been emulated over the years by countless writers.

Character Voice: Reflecting a Person's Persona

Every character has an individual way of putting together words, phrases, and ideas. These elements make up a person's "voice." Some people are authoritative, while others are pompous, funny, chatty, or warm. Whatever the case, everybody possesses a combination of different qualities that make up a single complex personality.

There are many great examples of authors creating compelling character voices in fiction writing. With Holden Caulfield in "Catcher in the Rye" and Scout Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird," J.D. Salinger and Harper Lee created iconic figures that set the scenes vividly with evocative descriptions, observations, and dialogue.

Perhaps the most colorful instance of character voice comes from Charles Dickens in his classic novel "David Copperfield." In addition to being a master of narrative voice, Dickens is highly regarded for his ability to create memorable character voices. One of his most famous characters was Uriah Heep. Heep was a nasty character who called himself "'umble" (humble). But while he pretended to be humble and unambitious, he had a scheme in mind for bettering himself:

"'When I was quite a young boy,' said Uriah, 'I got to know what umbleness did, and I took to it. I ate umble pie with an appetite. I stopped at the umble point of my learning, and says I, "Hard hard!" When you offered to teach me Latin, I knew better. "People like to be above you," says father, "keep yourself down." I am very umble to the present moment, Master Copperfield, but I've got a little power!'"

How Character Voice and Narrator's Voice Shape a Story

Both the character's voice and the narrator's voice drive a story in fiction. When the character's voice narrates, it uses first-person pronouns and tells the story from the protagonist perspective.

Although the narrator voice likewise sets the scenes, it carves out the different characters' identities and provides contextual insights and background as the narrative unfolds from different third-person perspectives. Character voices include:

  • First-Person (Character Voice): When narrating with a first-person character voice, an author animates a story from the perspective of a primary character. Everything that unfolds with the story—the scene-setting, dialogue, interactions, observations, and reactions—reflects the protagonist's persona and is seen from their perspective.
  • Third-Person Limited: This narration choice is similar to first-person in that it centers on a particular character and frames the story from their perspective, sharing their thoughts, observations, and emotions. Rather than using first-person pronouns, however, it uses "he," "she," and "they." This narrator can move back and forth between characters in subsequent chapters but can only provide the perspective of that particular character. The actions and interactions of peripheral characters are depicted, but their thoughts, observations, or emotions are not fleshed out from their perspective which makes this narrative voice limiting.
  • Third-Person Omniscient: Third-person omniscient has the attributes of third-person limited, but the range is broader. This narration method can deal with more than one character at a time. Delving into the character profiles of each figure, the narrator knows what they're thinking about, what emotions they're experiencing, and how they're going to react and can convey that with the same depth as a protagonist in a first-person narrative. By highlighting the outlooks of multiple characters, the third-person omniscient perspective can offer greater insight and context to readers while providing a wider lens to see the whole story.

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What is a Writer’s Voice & How to Find and Develop Your Writing Voice

what is voice literature

by Fija Callaghan

Think about who your favorite authors are. Now, ask yourself why they’re your favorites. Is it because of the clever plot twists and turns of phrase ? Is it because of the way they craft compelling, believable characters ? All of these things are part of making a great story, but if you love returning to the same author again and again it’s probably due to something much simpler—their voice . The way they tell the story.

What is voice in writing?

A writer’s voice, also called a literary voice, is a blend of the writer’s personal style, tone, personality, vocabulary, syntax, and unique experiences. In simpler terms, it’s the personal expression of that writer and no one else. Many writers can be identified by the unique way their voices sound on the page, even when the narrators and genres change.

Regardless of the story’s genre or time period, certain stylistic trademarks will consistently make their way into any given writer’s work. These can include the way sentences are structured: some writers might favor short, snappy sentences while others like indulgent sentences held aloft by a small army of commas that go on for a third of the page. The energy to those sentences might be intimate, lighthearted, and approachable, or they might be more objective and distant. This all becomes part of a writer’s signature style.

Voice in writing is the unique tone, personality, word choice, and poetic structure a writer uses to express themselves on the page.

You’ll also see the same thematic elements in a writer’s work, even when the plots and characters change. This is because deep down, writers are often trying to communicate the same central ideas to their audiences over and over, since they’re things the authors care about deeply. This passion will naturally become a part of the stories that they tell.

A writer’s voice can also be a reflection of the relationship they have with the reader and with the world around them.

Some writers might find ironic humor in every moment of their story. Some might converse with the reader with a comfortable intimacy, like a sibling or friend. Others might be drawn to the beauty all around them, exploring it with rich, sensual imagery in any genre of work.

You’ll be instinctively drawn to these energies in the work of the writers you love. When you begin writing your own stories and developing your own unique voice, you’ll find that your own energy and tone begins to shine through more and more.

The writer’s voice vs. character’s voice

It’s important to note that the writer’s voice isn’t the same thing as their characters’ voices. A writer’s voice is the expression of the author; a character’s voice is the unique way in which their fictional characters express themselves.

In a well-written story, two characters might speak in very different ways depending on their social class, location, and upbringing. Giving your characters different voices is a wonderful exercise in characterization.

For example, if you write a story about a troubled city-bred teenager going to visit his ailing grandmother in the countryside, it’s unlikely that the teenager and the grandmother would speak in the same style. They’d probably have different vocabularies, different ways of putting their sentences together, and they’d speak at different paces.

Showing these two character voices realistically is not an easy thing to do, but a wonderful way to grow as a writer.

The writer’s voice vs. point of view

In creative writing, authors also need to choose a point of view from which to express the story.

The most common point of view styles are first person (told from the character’s perspective, using the pronoun “I”), third person limited, and third person omniscient (both told through the narrator’s voice, using the pronouns “He,” “She,” and “They”). However, there are other point of view styles you can use like second person and fourth person.

Some of these perspectives will be closer to the characters, and others will be more distant. In a closer, more intimate perspective, you may find that the author’s voice and the character’s voice overlap. In a more removed point of view, you may find that the story being told begins to sound less like your individual characters and more like you.

5 distinctive writer’s voices

Some writers in literature have such instantly recognizable voices that you would never mistake them for anyone else; they’ve inspired generations of imitators, as well as new authors who have learned from them before going on to develop unique voices of their own.

Let’s look at some of the most iconic writer’s voices in literature.

1. Mark Twain

Now the way that the book winds up is this: Tom and me found the money that the robbers hid in the cave, and it made us rich. We got six thousand dollars apiece—all gold. It was an awful sight of money when it was piled up. Well, Judge Thatcher he took it and put it out at interest, and it fetched us a dollar a day apiece all the year round—more than a body could tell what to do with.

Mark Twain was the original American everyman. Unlike many of his contemporaries who were writing in high literary voices, he wrote stories using a first-person narrator drenched in the slang and colloquialisms of the time. This made it feel like you were hearing an account from a close friend instead of reading a highbrow literary work.

The quote above is from his magnum opus, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , a book that was incredibly ahead of its time and is still being debated today. His casual intimacy made his stories feel marvelously present and immersive for readers.

2. Raymond Chandler

It was about eleven o’clock in the morning, mid October, with the sun not shining and a look of hard wet rain in the clearness of the foothills. I was wearing my powder-blue suit, with dark blue shirt, tie and display handkerchief, black brogues, black wool socks with dark blue clocks on them. I was neat, clean, shaved and sober, and I didn’t care who knew it. I was everything the well-dressed private detective ought to be. I was calling on four million dollars.

Raymond Chandler has been called “the father of the noir genre,” and is famous for his gritty, lightly sardonic detective novels of the 1930s and 1940s. His narration is made up of short, snappy clauses, one- and two-syllable word choice, and lines of dialogue that keep the pace swift. His writing voice has a marvelous gift for conveying time and place.

The quote shown here is the opening to his first major novel, The Big Sleep , which later became a cult favorite film starring Humphrey Bogart. Right away he shows us a self-aware depreciation that endears us to the central character and lands us squarely in the sharp, well-developed lines of the setting.

3. Jane Austen

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

So begins one of the most iconic romantic comedies of all time. Jane Austen wrote with a soft, romantic neoclassicism, hiding a sarcastic and rich perception of the human condition behind the socially acceptable formality of the time.

Her author’s voice contains sentences are often long and languid and sepia-toned. If you read her work and pay attention, however, you’ll notice a cutting wit weaving in and out of the rose-scented decorum.

A powerful author’s voice can stay with readers for generations.

4. Ernest Hemingway

All of the sadness of the city came suddenly with the first cold rains of winter, and there were no more tops to the high white houses as you walked but only the wet blackness of the street and the closed doors of the small shops, the herb sellers, the stationery and the newspaper shops, the midwife—second class—and the hotel where Verlaine had died where I had a room on the top floor where I worked.

Ernest Hemingway is famous for prose that is clean and uncluttered to the point of sparsity; luxuries like adjectives, adverbs, and semicolons are used sparingly or tossed away in favour of stark minimalism.

The above excerpt is from his Parisian memoir, A Moveable Feast . In his work, Hemingway stripped away everything that was unnecessary to reveal the carefully curated bones of the story underneath. In character-driven works, the dialogue is largely objective; he does not romanticize his narrative, but simply shows the world the way it is. Nothing more and nothing less.

5. Agatha Christie

“Supposing,” murmured Poirot, “that four people sit down to play bridge and one, the odd man out, sits in a chair by the fire. At the end of the evening the man by the fire is found dead. One of the four, while he is dummy, has gone over and killed him, and intent on the play of the hand, the other three have not noticed. Ah, there would be a crime for you! Which of the four was it?” “Well,” I said. “I can’t see any excitement in that!” Poirot threw me a glance of reproof. “No, because there are no curiously twisted daggers, no blackmail, no emerald that is the stolen eye of a god, no untraceable Eastern poisons. You have the melodramatic soul, Hastings.”

Agatha Christie’s writing has a simplistic poetry to it that is anything but simple. The long reigning queen of crime fiction, her work is heavy with expository dialogue and is rich in characterization. Though her work deals with unnerving and often bloody subject matter, the way she strings her words together has a soft and quintessentially feminine energy.

This quote from her famous ABC Murders shows the way she plays with character psychology through dialogue. She is very efficient at conveying layers of subtext through careful word selection and simple dialogue.

3 ways to develop your own writing voice

Now that you’ve developed an understanding of what voice in writing means, let’s explore three things you can do to begin developing your author’s voice (and one thing not to do!).

1. Read everything

This is true of all aspects of the writing craft, but especially for developing your literary voice.

Try reading the five authors we talked about here, and go back and read your personal favorites. Read new authors just launching their debut novels, and seasoned authors whose books have been inspiring writers for generations. Read books in the genre you hope to write in, and books it would have never occurred to you to read before. Every single one has something to teach you.

The best way to develop your own writer’s voice? Read voraciously.

Try to develop an inner ear for the way each writer assembles a single sentence. Look at which details they take time to explore and which details they leave to the imagination of the reader. By getting to know the rhythms of a range of different writers, you’ll begin to get a sense of which ones feel like they could be a part of you.

2. Try on other writers

Once you’ve absorbed the voices of other writers through reading, try giving yourself a challenge: write something in the voice of one or more of those writers.

For instance, you might write a piece of flash fiction and imagine how it would sound if Ernest Hemingway had written it, and then describe the same story again in the voice of Jane Austen. You’ll be amazed at how different they’ll be.

This is not plagiarism, because you’re being inspired by these author’s voices—you’re not copying their writing word for word. If it makes you more comfortable, you can subtitle your story, “inspired by the literary voice of ______.” However, the most important thing is that you begin with your own unique ideas and challenge yourself to fit those ideas into voices that have inspired you.

Here’s the thing: your subconscious is pretty smart. Without you even noticing, your mind will be cataloguing all of these details and deciding which ones feel like a good fit for your unique voice, and discarding the rest. Doing these exercises won’t leave you sounding like a watered down version of Jane Austen or Ernest Hemingway; they’ll help you find which tones, styles, and rhythms feel like “home” to you and which are only places to visit. The voice you emerge with will be all your own.

3. Experiment with structure

It’s been said that formal, structured poetry reveals a lot more about a writer than modern free verse poetry. The reason for this is that when faced with more rigid boundaries, writers will naturally look for ways to stretch their personal creativity and express their own voice.

For example, if two poets are told to write a fourteen-line sonnet in iambic pentameter about the rain on a winter’s day, those two writers will produce two very, very different poems. Each one will reveal something about the way that writer sees the world and their relationship with it.

The same is true of fiction. Say two writers are asked to write a short story about two people who meet at a busy café in a train station, each of whom is keeping a secret from the other. Sounds pretty specific, doesn’t it? And yet, this simple story seed holds worlds of possibility.

The way each writer brings their own unique perspectives, tone, approach to sentence structure, and perception of the human condition will dictate the direction that this little story will take.

To grow your skills as a writer, try experimenting with structure, writing prompts, and personal challenges.

To develop your own writer’s voice, try using writing prompts and story archetypes to exercise your writing muscles. The more specific the exercises, the more you’ll be able to see how much of what comes out is completely, unapologetically you .

Bonus: the 1 thing not to do to develop your writer’s voice

In some lessons on developing your writer’s voice, you might come across this singularly important “rule” (like all “rules” of writing, be wary of following it if you don’t quite understand why you’re following it in the first place): whatever you do, keep it consistent .

The reasons for this are twofold: Firstly, if you need to force yourself to keep your writer’s voice consistent, it’s not your writer’s voice. Your voice is what naturally comes from you; it is your essence given from in words. If you ever feel like your writer’s voice is getting off track and you need to corral it back into shape, what you have is not a voice—it’s a style.

The second reason is that your writer’s voice is constantly evolving. Growth is never a bad thing in any aspect of our lives, and certainly not in our literary voices. The more we read, write, and learn about the world, the more our writing will evolve and refine. Trying to keep it “consistent” is to limit all the possibilities of what it can become.

The bottom line? Finding your writer’s voice is not an act of creating something from nothing; it is an act of sloughing away everything your voice is not to reveal the voice that has been there all along, and then giving it room to grow.

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Understanding the Definition of Voice: A Comprehensive Guide

What is voice in writing, how to identify voice in writing, why voice matters in writing, how to develop your writing voice, tips for achieving consistency in voice, the role of voice in different genres of writing, examples of strong voice in literature, how to adapt your voice for different audiences.

When you dive into the world of writing, one term that often pops up is "voice". But what does that mean? Let's break down the definition of voice in a simple, relatable, and comprehensive way, just like having a chat with a friend in your favorite coffee shop. Whether you're an aspiring author, a student trying to master your school assignments, or just someone curious about the intricacies of the written word, this guide will help you understand and appreciate the concept of voice in writing.

Imagine you're reading two different books: say, one of the Harry Potter novels and a report on global climate change. Even if the information is the same, you can quickly tell the difference between the two, right? The way the words are put together, the tone, the style—everything feels different. Well, that's what we call the "voice" in writing.

Here's the definition of voice in writing: It's like the unique fingerprint of a writer. It's the way a writer expresses ideas. It's not about what you say, but how you say it. It's your style, your personality, shining through the words you choose, the way you structure your sentences, and even the rhythm and pace of your writing.

If you're still a bit confused, don't worry. Here's another way to think about this: You know how your best friend has a unique way of telling stories that makes you laugh every time? Or how your favorite teacher explains things in a way that just makes sense? That's their voice—and you have one too, in your writing.

Key Points:

  • The definition of voice in writing is like a writer's unique fingerprint—it's the way they express their ideas.
  • Voice isn't about what you say, but how you say it.
  • Voice can include things like word choice, sentence structure, rhythm, and pace.
  • Everyone has a unique voice in their writing, just like they do in their speaking.

Are you starting to get a feel for what we mean by the "definition of voice" in writing? Great! Now, let's explore how to identify this in various works.

Just like finding Waldo in those tricky picture books, identifying voice in writing can be a bit of a challenge. But don't worry, I've got some tricks up my sleeve that can make this task a lot easier for you.

One way to identify voice is to pay attention to the writer's choice of words. Are they using simple, everyday language or are they throwing around fancy words like a poet at a recital? What about their tone? Is it serious, humorous, sarcastic, or maybe a bit of everything? These are some of the clues that can help you identify the writer's voice.

  • The choice of words a writer uses can give you a hint about their voice.
  • The tone of the writing is another important clue.

Another tip is to look at the rhythm and pace of the writing. Does it flow smoothly like a calm river or does it jump around like a bunny in spring? The rhythm and pace can tell you a lot about the writer's voice. Think of it like the beat in a song—it's the same concept.

And last but not least, don't forget about the structure of the sentences. Short and punchy sentences can create a different voice compared to long and complex ones.

Quick Recap:

  • Pay attention to the rhythm and pace of the writing.
  • Look at the structure of the sentences.

Ready for a little test? Grab a book or an article and see if you can identify the writer's voice using these tips. Remember, practice makes perfect when it comes to understanding the definition of voice in writing.

Why is it that we can't resist the smell of a fresh batch of cookies or the sound of our favorite song? It's because these things resonate with us on a personal level. The same goes for the voice in writing—it can draw us in, keep us engaged, and make us feel something.

Here's the thing: writing without voice is like a song without melody—it's flat, uninteresting, and forgettable. On the other hand, a strong voice can make your writing more engaging, relatable, and memorable. It's the secret sauce that can make your writing stand out from the crowd.

Think about your favorite book or article. What made it special? Chances are, it's not just the content, but the way it was told—the voice of the writer. That's the power of voice in writing.

  • Voice can make your writing more engaging and memorable.
  • It's the secret sauce that can make your writing stand out.

Moreover, voice can help convey your message more effectively. It can reflect your personality, your values, and your perspective, making your writing more authentic and credible. After all, people connect with people, not just words on a page.

And let's not forget about persuasion. A strong voice can be persuasive, encouraging readers to think, feel, or act in a certain way. In a world where everyone is competing for attention, a compelling voice is not just nice to have—it's a must-have.

  • Voice can help convey your message more effectively.
  • It can make your writing more authentic and credible.
  • A strong voice can be persuasive, encouraging readers to take action.

So, next time you're writing, don't just focus on what you're saying, but also how you're saying it. Remember, understanding the definition of voice in writing can make a big difference in your writing journey.

Developing your own unique writing voice might seem like a daunting task. Don't worry—we've all been there. But just like learning to ride a bike or mastering a new recipe, it gets easier with practice. Let's walk through the steps together.

First things first: you need to know yourself. Your writing voice is a reflection of who you are—your personality, your experiences, your values. So take some time to reflect on these aspects. What makes you, well, you?

Ask yourself:

  • What are your interests or passions?
  • What are your values and beliefs?
  • What experiences have shaped you?

The answers to these questions will give you a starting point to develop your unique voice.

Next, read... a lot. Reading different authors and genres can help you explore different voices. Notice how they use language, tone, and style. What do you like? What do you dislike? Use these insights to shape your own voice.

Then, practice writing regularly. Like any skill, writing improves with practice. Try writing about different topics, in different styles. Experiment and have fun with it. Over time, you'll start to notice patterns and preferences that define your unique voice.

Finally, seek feedback. Share your writing with others and ask for their thoughts. Sometimes, others can see things that we might miss. Their feedback can help you refine your voice.

Key takeaways:

  • Know yourself—your voice is a reflection of who you are.
  • Read a lot to explore different voices.
  • Practice writing regularly to hone your voice.
  • Seek feedback to refine your voice.

Remember, developing your writing voice is a journey, not a destination. So, give yourself permission to explore, experiment, and evolve. After all, understanding the definition of voice in writing is about finding your unique way of expressing yourself.

Now that we've established the definition of voice, let's delve into maintaining its consistency. Consistency is key in establishing a strong, identifiable voice. Imagine reading your favorite book series—part of what makes it so enjoyable is the consistent voice that threads through every single page. So, how can you achieve this consistency in your own writing? Let's find out.

The first step is to decide on your voice. Reflect on the previous section on developing your voice. What did you discover about your unique writing style? Once you've determined this, try to stick to it. This consistency will become your voice's signature.

Next, be aware of your tone. While your voice remains consistent, your tone can vary depending on the situation. For example, your tone might be more serious when discussing an important issue, but more light-hearted when sharing a fun anecdote. Balancing your consistent voice with a flexible tone can make your writing more engaging.

Another tip is to use a style guide. This can be as simple or complex as you want. It could include your preferred grammar and punctuation rules, or even specific words and phrases that reflect your voice. Refer to this guide whenever you write to maintain consistency.

Finally, review and revise your work. This can help you spot any inconsistencies in your voice. It can be helpful to take a break before reviewing your work—you'll be more likely to catch any discrepancies with fresh eyes.

Quick recap:

  • Decide on your voice and stick to it
  • Be aware of your tone—it can vary
  • Use a style guide for reference
  • Always review and revise your work

Consistency in voice isn't just about sticking to one style—it's about making your writing uniquely you, every single time. And that, my friends, is the true definition of voice in writing.

Understanding the definition of voice in writing is like having a secret weapon. But how does this weapon function in different genres of writing? Let's explore.

Let's start with fiction. In a story, your voice is the storyteller—it adds color, sets the mood, and guides the reader through the narrative. A mystery novel might use a suspenseful, tense voice, while a comedy might use a light-hearted, humorous voice.

Moving on to non-fiction, the voice plays a crucial role in engaging the reader. Whether you're writing a memoir or a technical manual, a clear and distinctive voice can make the content more accessible and enjoyable to read.

In poetry, your voice is your heart—it conveys your emotions and ideas, paints vivid images, and creates a rhythm that flows like music.

Lastly, let's talk about academic writing. While it might seem like there's no room for voice in a research paper or thesis, that's not entirely true. A clear, concise voice can make complex ideas easier to understand, and a consistent voice can lend credibility to your research.

  • In fiction, your voice is the storyteller
  • In non-fiction, voice makes your writing engaging
  • In poetry, your voice is your heart
  • In academic writing, a clear voice makes your work credible

So, no matter what type of writing you're tackling, your voice has a role to play. It's what makes your writing uniquely you, and that's the magic of understanding the definition of voice in writing.

Now that we've explored the definition of voice and its role in different genres, let's take a look at some examples of strong voice in literature. These examples will show you the power of voice and how it can make a piece of writing unforgettable.

First, let's talk about Harper Lee's classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird". Here, the voice of Scout, a young girl, is so clear and authentic that the reader can almost hear her speaking. It's this distinctive voice that brings the story to life and keeps us turning the pages.

Next, consider "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, has such a unique voice—cynical yet vulnerable—that you feel like you're inside his head, experiencing the world as he does.

Another great example is "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. Austen's witty and ironic voice not only entertains us but also provides a sharp commentary on the social norms of her time.

Finally, let's look at "1984" by George Orwell. The voice in this dystopian novel is chilling and bleak, perfectly reflecting the oppressive society it depicts.

In summary:

  • Scout's voice in "To Kill a Mockingbird" brings the story to life
  • Holden Caulfield's voice in "The Catcher in the Rye" puts you inside his head
  • Jane Austen's voice in "Pride and Prejudice" provides witty social commentary
  • The voice in "1984" creates a chilling dystopian atmosphere

These examples highlight the power of voice in literature. A unique and powerful voice can turn a good book into a masterpiece. It's all about finding your voice and making it heard, that's the true definition of voice in writing.

Alright, so we've covered the definition of voice in writing, seen how it can vary across genres, and looked at some famous examples. Now, let's get into something a bit tricky: adapting your voice for different audiences. The same piece of writing can be interpreted in different ways by different people, so it's important to adjust your voice accordingly.

Firstly, consider who you're writing for. Is it a group of middle-school students? Or is it a gathering of professionals in a certain field? Understanding your audience is the first step to adapting your voice.

Let's say you're writing a science article for kids. You'll want to use simple, clear language and avoid jargon. You might even want to add a playful tone to make the material more engaging. But if you're writing the same article for a scientific journal, you'd need to switch to a more formal voice and use technical terms.

Imagine you're writing a travel blog. If your readers are budget travelers, you might use a relaxed, friendly voice and focus on cost-saving tips. But if your audience is luxury travelers, you might adopt a sophisticated voice and talk about high-end experiences.

In a nutshell:

  • Understand who your audience is
  • Adapt your voice to match their needs and expectations
  • Change your tone, language, and focus as needed

No matter who your audience is, the key is to make your voice resonate with them. It's not always easy, but with practice, you can learn to adapt your voice for different audiences while still staying true to your unique style. Remember, the definition of voice in writing isn't just about how you write—it's also about who you're writing for.

If you enjoyed this comprehensive guide on understanding the definition of voice and want to explore more ways to develop your own creative voice, don't miss the workshop ' Crafting a Creative Voice through Collage! ' by Christine Kim. This workshop will guide you through the process of using collage as a medium to express your unique voice and make your artistic creations truly stand out.

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Table of Contents

What Is Voice in Writing?

  • How Do I Find My Writer's Voice?
  • How to Develop Your Writer's Voice

Writing Voice: What it Means & How to Find Yours

what is voice literature

When you talk to someone, do you have to “find your voice?”

Of course not. You just talk.

Your voice isn’t something you “find.” It’s not hiding between the couch cushions or under the bed. It’s already there, inside of you and a part of you.

So why do so many writers talk about “finding” their voice like it’s a complicated thing?

Because they’re trying to look fancy and sophisticated. The fact is, it isn’t complicated. Elitist writers just want you to think it is.

Every Author has a unique voice, and you don’t have to do anything special to find it.

In this post, I’ll provide a definition of voice and debunk the myth that “finding your voice” is hard. Most importantly, I’ll show you exactly how to do it.

In writing, “voice” is how you speak and think. It’s all about the words you use and the patterns in your writing.

Do you use a lot of rhetorical questions? Long or short sentences? Slang?

Those are all ways your voice might come through in your writing.

Let’s look at a few examples of voice.

Tiffany Haddish is a comedian who grew up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles. She’s made a living off making people laugh, without pulling any punches.

Here’s the opening of her book, The Last Black Unicorn :

When you read this, you can practically hear Tiffany talking. It’s like having a conversation with her. Her voice comes through loud and clear.

She uses humor. She’s candid, and she doesn’t always stick to formal, proper grammar.

Here’s another, very different example.

This is the opening to Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, a U.S. Armed Forces icon:

David’s voice is totally different from Tiffany’s. But it still feels like you’re having a conversation with him. It feels authentic.

His tone is more serious, but it’s still friendly. His sentences are short and direct (except for that last sentence, where he uses repetition to make a point). David’s writing is emphatic, and it makes you want to keep reading.

That’s the power of an Author’s voice.

It’s completely and totally theirs.

It’s real.

It’s powerful.

To be clear, your “voice” is different from your writing style .

Your voice is about how you communicate. In any conversation, on any given day, you’re using your natural voice.

Style is about how you approach the reader. It’s either geared toward persuading the reader, explaining something to the reader, telling the reader a story, or describing something to the reader.

No matter what your style is, you’ll have a consistent voice that shines through.

How Do I Find My Writer’s Voice?

You don’t.

People with literature degrees want you to believe that your writer’s voice is something you have to work really hard on. They’ll tell you it’s something you have to develop over time as part of your craft.

That’s not true. Your voice is already part of who you are.

So, if it’s already part of you, why is it hard to find?

It’s not.

Believe it or not, you don’t have to find your Author’s voice. It’s your own voice.

You already have a unique way of speaking/thinking/talking. That’s your writer’s voice. It’s the same thing.

high art book

You’re probably just getting in your own way because you’re not used to writing—and because you’ve bought into the belief that writing is “high art.”

It isn’t. Or at least it shouldn’t be.

Writing is about communicating ideas, not showing off.

You communicate every day. Trust yourself, and get out of your own way.

How to Develop Your Writer’s Voice

Your voice is already part of you, but if you’re like most people, you’re probably more comfortable speaking in your voice than writing in it.

If you find yourself in this camp, there are 6 things you can do to get yourself back on track.

To be clear, these aren’t tips for “finding your voice.” They’re tips for remembering you already have one.

1. Stop Trying to Sound Like Someone Else

One of the biggest writing mistakes is when people try to emulate someone else’s writing.

Don’t do this.

I don’t care how great a writer they are or how much you like their book. You’re not them. You’re you.

You have to be yourself because that’s who readers want to engage with. They picked up your book because they thought you could help them solve their problems . If they thought someone else could do it better, they would have bought their book instead.

Give readers what they want: your knowledge, in your words. If you speak to them clearly, honestly, and authentically, you’ll have a strong voice.

Chances are, you like the Authors you like because they stayed true to themselves. They stand out because they’ve let their authentic voice come through in their writing.

There’s nothing authentic about a copycat. And it only takes readers a minute to catch on when someone isn’t being real with them.

If you want to publish a good book , stop trying to live up to other good books. Instead, live up to yourself.

Let your unique point of view come through.

2. Stop Trying to Sound Smart

This is a subset of the first problem, but I’m highlighting it here because it’s something I see all the time .

Authors often try to use fancy words or complicated sentence structure because they think that’s how writing is “supposed” to sound.

Or, they think they have to “sound smart” for readers to perceive them as smart.

I don’t care how smart you are. No one wants to read complicated, dense writing. It doesn’t make you sound smart. It makes you sound unrelatable.

I blame English professors—and textbooks, most of which are horrible.​They make people think they have to have some fancy literary voice if they want to be taken seriously.

But be honest. When’s the last time you’ve picked up a book in your spare time and said, “I really want something I have to slog through?”

So don’t make readers slog through your book. They won’t do it.

Complicated words won’t make you sound more authoritative.

Know what will? Good information, delivered clearly and plainly.

Keep your word choice simple and skip the “authorial voice” you think you “should” have.

People appreciate straight shooters more than they appreciate faux-intellectualism or headaches.

3. Stop Worrying About Grammar

The best way to write is the way you talk. And the way you talk won’t always be grammatically correct.

That’s fine.

Stop worrying about grammar, especially when you’re writing your first draft. In reality, grammar rules aren’t rules. They’re suggestions.

Grammar rules are arbitrary conventions that people agree on. Except there is no set of people who are in charge and no formal agreements. That’s why there are so many different grammar books out there.

There are only 2 reasons that grammar even matters in writing:

  • It makes communication easier
  • People expect good grammar (which is why it makes communication easier)

You want your book to look professional, but more importantly, you want your book to connect with readers.

People respond to people—not rules, and not grammar.

When you write the way you speak, people will connect with it.

Maybe that means using sentence fragments. Like this. Or maybe it means starting a sentence with a conjunction.

Maybe it means being colloquial. Did you notice that Tiffany Haddish said, “I look back over my life and I’m like, ‘For real, that happened?'”

Most grammar books would never encourage you to use “I’m like” as a stand-in for “I said.” But it sounds like Tiffany, and it makes her far more relatable.

Everyone has their own unique way of speaking. You should also embrace your own unique way of writing. It’s okay to break the rules.

Of course, you want your book to look professional, but you can always fix spelling and punctuation mistakes down the line.

Once you’re done writing, hand the manuscript over to a good editor , copyeditor , and/or proofreader . But even then, take their suggestions with a grain of salt.

The most important thing is to preserve your narrative voice and make a connection with the reader.

4. Stop Editing Yourself

I’ll take my earlier advice one step further: don’t just stop worrying about grammar. Stop worrying about how you sound at all.

Just get your ideas down on paper. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be.

Give yourself permission to write a mediocre first draft. Hell, give yourself permission to write a terrible first draft.

I always advise Authors to write what we call a “ vomit draft .” Spew your thoughts onto paper and stop worrying about whether they sound good.

Just get it all out. Get every thought that’s in your head onto the paper.

Like vomiting, it’s not going to be pretty. But it will be real. It will encapsulate your writing voice.

The more you agonize over putting your thoughts on paper, the less natural they’re going to sound. You’ll question your natural flow of thoughts, and you’ll probably edit out all the tics that make your voice sound like you.

Plus, it’s a lot easier to fix a second draft than it is to write a “perfect” first one.

Think of your vomit draft as a starting place that helps you drill down to the essence of your voice.

Here are 2 frames that might help you channel your own voice in the vomit draft:

  • Imagine that you’re having a conversation with a friend. It takes the pressure off, guarantees that you’ll be more natural, and ensures that you’re thinking about what the other person is learning and taking in.
  • Imagine you’re helping a stranger heal the same pain you had. This helps you focus on actionable advice and helps you stay focused on your reader.

Want to really ace this “writing voice” thing?

Envision yourself helping a friend through something difficult you’ve already figured out.

Why does this work? Because your mind won’t be on your voice at all. It will be focused on helping someone you care about.

Your voice will emerge organically.

5. Write Like You’re Not Finished

I just said that your vomit draft will probably be terrible. But in another sense, your vomit draft will be great . ​

That’s because it’s exactly what it needs to be: a draft.

Many successful people are perfectionists . They desperately want things to be “right,” and they have high expectations for themselves. When they write, they want every word to be spot-on.

Now, imagine if you put that much pressure on yourself every time you opened your mouth.

What would happen if every word you spoke had to be perfect ?

You’d never say anything.

book with trophies

You can’t have a natural voice—or a voice at all—if you’re hung up on perfectionism.

Every great book starts out as a bad book, or at least a mediocre book. I promise. That’s because writing a book is a long process. You can’t treat it like a one-and-done thing.

A book starts with a rough draft—emphasis on “rough.” Then, over time, it gets better. And better. And better.

I can’t tell you how many Authors I’ve seen who get discouraged at the beginning of the writing process. They let their fear get in the way, and they get stuck. They worry that their books won’t be “good enough” or that people won’t care.

Many of them give up.

It’s important to keep perspective. This is a process. Your voice will develop over successive drafts. It doesn’t have to be perfect right out of the gate.

Ernest Hemingway had one of the most distinctive voices in literature, and he was an obsessive editor. He was never content with his early drafts.

Stop trying to write like you’re writing a finished book. You’re not. You’re writing a draft. When you embrace that and loosen up, your writing voice will sound much more natural.

6. Talk It Out Instead of Writing It Down

An Author’s voice is called a “voice” for a reason. It’s directly related to how a person speaks and communicates.

One thing that makes tapping into your own voice so hard is that it’s hard to type as fast as you speak.

When you’re sitting at a keyboard, your ideas often outpace your ability to get them down. That interrupts your flow and makes the entire writing process feel stilted and awkward.

If you’re having trouble keeping up, stop trying to write. Talk it out instead.

After all, who said you had to write your book? You can speak it just as easily.

I recommend dictating your book and sending the recording to a transcription service .

With roughly 10 hours of talking and a few minutes of file conversion time, you’ll have a workable vomit draft.

Better yet, you’ll have a workable vomit draft in your own voice . Literally.

If you struggle with the idea of dictating that much content, go back to the 2 frames I suggested above. Instead of imagining talking to a friend, actually do it.

Have a conversation with someone else about your book’s subject, and use that conversation as your guide for your rough draft.

We’ve all heard of writer’s block , but there’s no such thing as speaker’s block. There’s a good reason for that.

It’s easy to talk to a friend. You don’t worry about sounding smart or needing to find your voice. You just speak, and your voice emerges naturally.

Don’t make writing a book more complicated than it has to be. When in doubt, let your actual voice do the “writing” for you.

The Scribe Crew

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Voice-Driven Fiction | Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Voice

Voice is like the juice in an apple. If there’s no juice, the apple tastes dry, and the reader won’t take another bite. And, readers aren’t the only ones who’ll take a pass. Unfortunately, apart from the issue of “likeable characters,” the single biggest reason agents send you a “bong” letter is that your manuscript lacks a distinctive voice.

voice-driven fiction apple comparison

Image from Pixabay via PublicDomainPictures

Agent Rachelle Gardner says, “One of the most common problems with fiction by new authors is the lack of a unique voice on the page.”

On the other hand, if the voice pulls an agent in, maybe she or he will take a chance. In an article in Slice Magazine , agent Carrie Howland says, ” I very often take on books with potential, because I fall in love with the voice and writing, even if the work as a whole isn’t quite ready.”

The “premise” of the book doesn’t figure into what makes these agents grab a book. Neither agent mentions an excellent query letter, tight synopsis, page-turning plot, or compelling characters. No. What these agents focus on is “voice,” and I’ve heard many other agents say the same thing.

What this comes down to is that voice-driven fiction works just as effectively as plot- or character-driven fiction. Whether you’re writing Young Adult fiction or fiction about a marital crisis, you need to develop a narrative voice unique to that story.

Whose Voice Is Telling the Story?

To understand what voice is and figure out if your novel’s storytelling voice is working as hard as it could, let’s start with some basic questions:

  • Who is telling the story? Whose voice is whispering in our ear?
  • Is the voice that of a character in the story?
  • Is the voice that of a narrator?

Mind you, I’m not talking here about whether the story is told from a first, second, third, or omniscient point-of-view. Voice is different. It’s the intelligence behind the narration. It’s the attitude. Most of all, it’s the emotion. Readers have their antennae up. We’re picking up subliminal signals about a character’s educational status, gender, mindset, and angst. We’re on the alert for whether the character is reliable, untrustworthy, or self-deluded. Furthermore, the voice of the story gives us immediate clues about the problems the characters will encounter and the preoccupations of the book as a whole.

Robert Lewis Stevenson’s Treasure Island

Voice in fiction. Image taken from page 45 of '[Treasure Island ... Second edition.]'

Image from Flickr via The British Library

I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow—a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards: “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest— Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

Did you pick up on the age of the narrator? Older now, he is looking back on his childhood when his father was the “keeper” of the Admiral Benbow Inn. The narrator, whose name we don’t yet know, begins with the first instant he saw Long John Silver. To me the voice sounds objective. Indeed, the first paragraph of the novel tells is that “Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen” entrusted the person who’s narrating the story with the job of setting down the particulars.

The Voice in Daniel Orozco’s Orientation

The next example is the title story in Daniel Orozco’s very fine story collection, Orientation . The story-voice is flat and affectless. To me it sounds like a man’s voice, a man who has worked in Cubeland too long.

Those are the offices and these are the cubicles. That’s my cubicle there, and this is your cubicle. This is your phone. Never answer your phone. Let the Voicemail System answer it. This is your Voicemail System Manual. There are no personal phone calls allowed. We do, however, allow for emergencies. If you must make an emergency phone call, ask your supervisor first. If you can’t find your supervisor, ask Phillip Spiers, who sits over there. He’ll check with Clarissa Nicks, who sits over there. If you make an emergency phone call without asking, you may be let go. These are your in- and out-boxes. All the forms in your in-box must be logged in by the date shown in the upper-left-hand corner, initialed by you in the upper-right-hand corner, and distributed to the Processing Analyst whose name is numerically coded in the lower-left-hand corner.

You can read more about the author by clicking here.  I’ll just add that the narrator of this story sounds like the manager from hell. All the humanity has been sucked out of him, and the reader feels instant sympathy for the unfortunate new hire.

The Voice in We The Animals

If the voice above sounds like that of a computer, the voice in We the Animals , a novel by Justin Torres, brims over with emotion. To describe this voice, I might use words like “male,” “poetic,” “urgent,” “young,” or “passionate.”

WE WANTED MORE. We knocked the butt ends of our forks against the table, tapped our spoons against our empty bowls; we were hungry. We wanted more volume, more riots. We turned up the knob on the TV until our ears ached with the shouts of angry men. We wanted more music on the radio; we wanted beats; we wanted rock. We wanted muscles on our skinny arms. We had bird bones, hollow and light, and we wanted more density, more weight. We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more. When it was cold, we fought over blankets until the cloth tore down the middle. When it was really cold, when our breath came out in frosty clouds, Manny crawled into bed with Joel and me. “Body heat,” he said. “Body heat,” we agreed…

Note that Torres uses twelve consecutive sentence with the very same structure. (In my next post I’ll talk about diction and syntax, two elements in “voice”. Torres uses this repetition to establish a cadence. The voice compels us to keep going.) How would you characterize this voice?

As it happens, even the most astute readers have trouble finding words to articulate what makes a voice unique. However, we, as authors, must strive to understand “voice” so that we can enhance the narrative voices in our novels.

The Word Cloud

Here’s a word cloud to help you fine-tune your understanding of voice and what “voice-driven fiction” actually means. As an exercise, see if you can find one, two, or three words to describe each of the examples above. Can you add qualities I haven’t mentioned?

Abstract – Aged — Ambiguous – Analytical – Anecdotal – Angry – Anguished – Argumentative – Austere – Authoritative – Bland – Boring –  Bossy – Bostonian – British – Businesslike – Childlike – Cinematic – Classical – Colloquial – Concise – Confessional – Contemptuous – Conventional – Cool – Cringing – Cynical – Decadent – Deceitful – Depressed – Derivative – Disadvantaged – Dreamlike – Dreary – Earthy – Elderly – Elegiac – Emotive – Emphatic – Ethnic – Evasive – Evocative – Experimental – Fashionable – Farcical – Fatalistic – Female – Finicky – Flamboyant – Flighty – Funny – Gaelic – GenX – Gimmicky – Heavy – Heroic – Hysterical – Immature – Iconoclastic – Incoherent – Ironic – Irreverent – Journalistic – Juvenile – Know-It-All – Loyal – Lyrical – Lying – Male – Maternal – Melodramatic – Metaphorical – Metaphysical – Midwestern – Minimalist – Mistrustful – Monotonous – Mournful – Mystical  – Nostalgic – Objective – Obscure – Old-fashioned – Ominous – Oppressive – Parody – Passive – Philosophical – Poetic – Polemical – Political – Pompous – Pragmatic – Precious – Pretentious – Prissy – Profound – Psychological – Puritanical – Realistic – Repetitious – Reportorial – Rhythmic – Romantic – Sarcastic – Sardonic – Sassy – Satirical – Secretive – Self-pitying – Sensuous – Sentimental – Sharp – Silly – Sophisticated – Southern – Spiritual – Stark – Stilted – Subjective – Subtle – Superficial – Surrealistic – Symbolic – Talkative – Trite – Truculent – Urbane – Vague – Venomous – Victimized – Weary – Western – Whimsical – Wise – Wise-cracking – Witty – Wordy – Working class – Wounded – Young

Test Your Understanding of Voice

In my next post I’ll talk about some ways to inject more “voice” into your manuscript. However, before I launch into that, I want to make sure you’ve taken one more step toward understanding the power of voice. Below are several voice-driven novels. Click on the Amazon links and read the first few pages. Look at the word cloud, and see how you would characterize the storytelling voice.

Poe's Desk--Edgar Allan Poe Shrine

Edgar Allen Poe’s desk Image from Flickr via VCU Libraries Commons

I’m Not Stiller by Max Frisch

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

The Woman Upstair s by Claire Messud

You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett

Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks

Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe

“Voice” isn’t just an add-on. It’s the foundation of our writing house.

What did you think when you read these excerpts?

Please leave comments below.

Marylee MacDonald

Marylee MacDonald is the author of MONTPELIER TOMORROW, BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD, BODY LANGUAGE, and THE BIG BOOK OF SMALL PRESSES AND INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS. Her books and stories have won the Barry Hannah Prize, the Jeanne M. Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award, a Readers' Favorites Gold Medal for Drama, the American Literary Review Fiction Prize, a Wishing Shelf Book Award, and many others. She holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State, and when not reading or writing books, she loves to walk on the beach and explore National Parks.

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8 responses to “voice-driven fiction | why you can’t afford to ignore voice”.

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Very helpful that for the most part you cited contemporary authors. I find it difficult to learn from the craft of the “old masters” because the “rules” of writing have changed. And thanks to you, I have three additional books I want to read.

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I’d suggest not reading the whole book. Just look at the first chapter on Amazon’s “preview the book” page. That’ll give you a sense of what I’m talking about. Each book has its own unique voice. That includes sentence structure, tone, and diction. Even vocabulary comes into it. As to the voice of your book, I would think you might consider that word “saudade.” How can the book both embody the saudade that permeates the world view of one of your characters AND the manic, absurb, and obsessive personality of your other protagonist? For me, having seen your manuscript, I think of a teeter totter swinging between those two poles, and I would be looking for a voice that allows room for both.

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Oops, forgot something.

Next week on my website, just before my next chapter, I referred to you in my blog comments and gave your links. Just do you know. Cheers, Magz

Gosh, I really appreciate that so much.

Hello Marylee I thrilled to have found you. Your writing tips are so stimulating and so practical at the same time. I love this page on Voice. As I write to you from Melbourne, Australia right now, I’m just trying to work out how and when to put my current memoir/ historical fiction work in front of a publisher. Since reading what you have to say about Voice, I’m reading over my work. Cheers, Magz

Hi Magz, Thanks for writing. An Australian writer, Margaret Ann Spence, just left my house. Last night, we had a terrific “novel release” party for her book, Lipstick on the Strawberry. I’m so thrilled to meet another writer from Australia. I have another post that will come out next week, and it, too, is on voice. It’s such an important topic, and I’m glad it’s sending you back to your work. My next post should give you a few more ideas about voice. I hope so, anyway.

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Thank you. 🙂

That’s a very powerful blog you’ve got going, Jeannette. The truthfulness of your lived experience shines through in your writing. I have a couple of friends who will totally identify with your journey.

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what is voice literature

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Definition of Voice

A voice in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself herself into words, and provides a sense that the character is real person, conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey. In simple words, it is an author’s individual writing style or point of view .

When a writer engages personally with a topic, he imparts his personality to that piece of literature. This individual personality is different from other individual personalities, which other writers put into their own works. Thus, voice is a unique personality of a literary work. Depending upon the type of work, authors may use a single voice, or multiple voices.

Types of Voice

Though there are many types of voice, two are most commonly used:

  • Author’s Voice – Author’s voice is the writer’s particular style , which he employs in a particular story, or piece of writing.
  • Character ’s Voice – A character ’s voice is the voice of the main character , how he views the world. It is a common narrative voice used with first and third person points of view. Here, the author uses a conscious person as a narrator in the story.

Examples of Voice in Literature

Example #1: various works (by multiple authors).

Stream of Consciousness Voice

Stream of consciousness is a narrative voice that comprises the thought processes of the characters. James Joyce’s novel, Ulysses , and William Faulkner’s novels, As I Lay Dying , and The Sound and Fury , are modes of stream of consciousness narrative .

Example #2: To Kill a Mockingbird (By Harper Lee)

Character Voice

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a very good example of a character ’s voice, in which the character Scout narrates the whole story. Though she is an adult, she tells her story from her childhood’s point of view . When she grows older, her language becomes more sophisticated. Scout uses first‑person narrative to create a realistic sense, enabling the audience to notice the child is growing up. Her dialogue allows readers to hear the language of younger Scout. Also, it enables the readers to feel the voice of an adult in her actions and thinking.

Example #3: The Tell-Tale Heart (By Edgar Allan Poe)

Unreliable Voice

Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart is an example of first‑person unreliable narrative voice, which is significantly unknowledgeable, biased, childish, and ignorant, which purposefully tries to deceive the readers. As the story proceeds, readers notice the voice is unusual, characterized by starts and stops. The character directly talks to the readers, showing a highly exaggerated and wrought style . It is obvious that the effectiveness of this story relies on its style , voice, and structure, which reveal the diseased state of mind of the narrator.

Example #4: Frankenstein (By Mary Shelley)

Epistolary Voice

Epistolary narrative voice makes use of letters and documents to convey the message and reveal the story. It may use multiple persons’ voices, or there could be no narrator at all, as the author may have gathered different documents into a single place to shape the story. For instance, Mary Shelley, in her novel Frankenstein , employs epistolary form, in which she uses a sequence of letters to express the voice of her narrator – a scientific explorer, Captain Robert Walton. He attempts to reach the North Pole, where he meets Victor Frankenstein, and then records his experiences and confessions.

Example #5: Old Man and the Sea (By George R. R. Martin)

Third-person, Subjective Voice

Third person narrative voice employs a third‑person point of view . In a third‑person subjective voice, a narrator describes feelings, thoughts, and opinions of one or more characters. Hemingway’s novel Old Man and the Sea , and George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel A Song of Ice and Fire, present examples of third person subjective voice.

Example #6: Hills Like White Elephants (By Ernest Hemingway)

Third-person Objective Voice

In a third person objective voice, a narrator narrates the story without showing the character ’s feelings and thoughts, and gives unbiased and objective points of view. A typical example of this voice is Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants .

Function of Voice

While identifying the function of voice in literature, it is necessary to consider the narrator’s degree of objectivity, reliability, and omniscience. Voice shows whose eyes readers see the narrative through, which gives a personality to a literary piece. Moreover, a strong voice helps make every word count, sets up consistency, and most importantly grabs the attention of the readers.

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The Village Voice vs. Robert Moses

what is voice literature

In this excerpt from her new book, The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture, Tricia Romano details the rise of Mary Perot Nichols, who became one of Robert Moses’s most formidable antagonists through her work at the Voice . “She was a housewife and a neighbor of mine,” Ed Fancher, co-founder and publisher, said of Perot Nichols’s unlikely start at the paper. “She had a great deal to do with destroying the career of Robert Moses because of the highway through the park, but the copy she would bring in to Dan, he said, was unreadable.”

CLARK WHELTON (freelance writer, 1968–1971; staff writer, 1971–1975 and 1977–1978): Do you know the story of Mary Nichols?

ELIZA NICHOLS (daughter of Mary Perot Nichols): My mother was involved in the fight against Robert Moses, and in particular Washington Square Park, and to have it closed from traffic. She kept going into the Village Voice : “You’ve got to write about this.” Dan Wolf finally got sick of this mother coming to him and saying, “You got to write about this,” and he said, “You write about it.”

One of her good friends was the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities , Jane Jacobs. My mother and Grace Paley and Jane Jacobs would take the kids to the park, and they became friends that way.

ED FANCHER ( Voice co-founder and publisher, 1955–1974): She was a housewife and a neighbor of mine. She had a great deal to do with destroying the career of Robert Moses because of the highway through the park, but the copy she would bring in to Dan, he said, was unreadable.

ELIZA NICHOLS : My mother had no formal training. She did have a college education in political science. That was a very important formation for her, to be on the ground and doing this reporting. That was definitely Wolf’s brilliance. He hired people who cared about stuff.

Dan was warm and kind and funny and loving, and smart, and he was capable of thinking of how to not only hire a woman in those days and give her authority, but also retain her. She didn’t have her own office. I had to come to her office after school, because there was no after-school program in those days, and I was the youngest. I had nowhere to go, and she was working. So, he rented an apartment next door to the original Village Voice building, so that she would have an office where I could just sit and draw and play while she was working. My mother wrote a lot. She wrote under deadline, and she hated every minute of it. She loved her job. She was much more excited about the scent than the kill.

DIANE FISHER (receptionist, 1962–1963; editorial assistant, 1963–1965; associate editor, 1965–1974): Mary may be the only layman in the whole world who read the capital budget from the first item to the last.

ELIZA NICHOLS: The famous “follow the money” — that was something my mother did way early on. Her finally figuring out what the financial interests of the various constituencies were led her and Jane Jacobs to ask for a meeting with the Mafia boss, because they understood that he controlled all of the South Village and what is now Soho and Tribeca.

He said something like, “Why should I care?” And my mother said, “If that freeway is built, your entire neighborhood’s going to be destroyed. And all those small businessmen who pay tribute to you and who you control are no longer going to exist.” I’m pretty sure it was the Gambino family that was in business then.

MARY PEROT NICHOLS: City planning issues like Moses — that was my bête noire until he got out of office.

ED FANCHER: Every week, she would be pounding away at Moses. He wanted to put a highway through Washington Square, and we stopped it by pounding away week after week. We made it clear that politically it would be suicide for Carmine DeSapio. Carmine DeSapio had to make the final decision because he was a very powerful figure, and if he didn’t stand up to Moses and stop it, he would’ve been out of power. It’s that’s simple. And he finally did it after weeks and weeks of work.

JANE JACOBS (journalist, activist, and author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities ): I saw Moses only once, at a hearing about the road through Washington Square; he stood up there gripping the railing, and he was furious at the effrontery of this, and I guess he could already see that his plan was in danger. Because he was saying, “There is nobody against this — NOBODY, NOBODY, NOBODY — but a bunch of, a bunch of MOTHERS!” And then he stomped out.

CLARK WHELTON: Then came “the Bath Mat Solution.” Moses said, “All right, so I won’t build a highway through the park, but we will just simply take the traffic around both sides of the park, turning the rectangle into an oval,” and she beat him on that, too. Robert Caro gives her credit for being the first person to actually wrestle Moses to the ground and stop him.

ROBIN REISIG (freelance news writer, 1970–1975): There was going to be a cross- town, elevated highway — with exit and entrance ramps that would have destroyed Soho and parts of Chinatown and everything else — crossing lower Manhattan. There would have been no Soho in the way we know Soho. It would have been a disaster.

CLARK WHELTON: She stopped that too!

ALAN WEITZ (courier/mailroom clerk, 1965–1968; editorial assistant, 1969–1972; assistant city editor, 1973; assistant news editor, January 1974–April 1974; associate editor, 1974–1975; managing editor, 1977–1979): Can you imagine an expressway across Canal Street? And they stopped him from building these tremendous West Village apartments and got the West Village declared a historical landmark.

CLARK WHELTON: She went through every line of a document to find out who was swindling who, and which landlords were getting away with murder. Through the Village Voice , she warned New York that landlords had in mind towers along the Hudson River. They want to block off our view of the Hudson. She said, “If we don’t stop them, they’re going to control through the Lower Manhattan Expressway and the various other techniques they have, they’re going to end up wanting all that land.”

ELIZA NICHOLS : Ed Fancher said my mother’s writing saved the Village Voice from going under in about 1958.

CLARK WHELTON: The Voice was her weapon. The Voice saved the Village for years and years.

An excerpt from  The Freaks Came Out to Write :  The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture  by Tricia Romano, which will be published by PublicAffairs on February 27.

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ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed how we work and play  in recent months, giving almost anyone the ability to write code , create art , and even make investments . 

Special Feature

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The Rise of Generative AI

A new wave of AI tools has taken the world by storm and given us a vision for a new way of working and finding the information that can streamline our work and our lives. We show you the ways tools like ChatGPT and other generational AI software are making impacts on the world, how to harness their power, as well as potential risks.

For professional and hobbyist users alike, generative AI tools, such as  ChatGPT , offer advanced capabilities to create decent-quality content from a simple prompt given by the user. 

Keeping up with all the latest AI tools can get confusing, especially as Microsoft added  GPT-4 to Bing  and renamed it to Copilot,  OpenAI added new capabilities to ChatGPT , and Bard got plugged into the Google ecosystem  and rebranded to Gemini.

Also: Microsoft Copilot Pro vs. OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus: Which is worth your $20 a month?

Knowing which of the three most popular AI chatbots is best to write code , generate text , or help build resumes is challenging, so we'll break down the biggest differences so you can choose one that fits your needs. 

Testing ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini

To help determine which AI chatbot gives more accurate answers, I'm going to use a simple prompt to compare the three: 

"I have 5 oranges today, I ate 3 oranges last week. How many oranges do I have left?"

The answer should be five, as the number of oranges I ate last week doesn't affect the number of oranges I have today, which is what we're asking the three bots. First up, ChatGPT.

You should use ChatGPT if...

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1. You want to try the most popular AI chatbot

ChatGPT was created by OpenAI and released for a widespread preview in November 2022. Since then, the AI chatbot quickly gained over 100 million users, with the website alone seeing 1.8 billion visitors a month. It's been at the center of controversies , especially as people uncover its potential to do schoolwork and replace some workers.

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The free version of ChatGPT, which runs on the default GPT-3.5 model, gave the wrong answer to our question.

I've been testing ChatGPT almost daily since its release. Its user interface has remained simple, but minor changes have improved it greatly, like the addition of a copy button, an edit option, Custom Instructions , and easy access to your account. 

Also: How to use ChatGPT

Though ChatGPT has proven itself as a valuable AI tool, it can be prone to misinformation . Like other large language models (LLMs), GPT-3.5 is imperfect, as it is trained on human-created data up to January 2022. It also often fails to comprehend nuances, like it did with our math question example, which it answered incorrectly by saying we have two oranges left when it should be five. 

2. You're willing to pay extra for an upgrade

OpenAI lets users access ChatGPT -- powered by the GPT-3.5 model -- for free with a registered account. But if you're willing to pay for the Plus version, you can access GPT-4 and many more features for $20 per month.

Also: How to write better ChatGPT prompts for the best generative AI results

GPT-4 is the largest LLM available for use when compared to all other AI chatbots and is trained with data up to April 2023 and can also access the internet, powered by Microsoft Bing. GPT-4 is said to have over 100 trillion parameters; GPT-3.5 has 175 billion parameters. More parameters essentially mean that the model is trained on more data, which makes it more likely to answer questions accurately and less prone to hallucinations.

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ChatGPT Plus, which runs using the GPT-4 model, did answer the question correctly. 

As an example, you can see the GPT-4 model, available through a ChatGPT Plus subscription , answered the math question correctly, as it understood the full context of the problem from beginning to end.

Also: I tried Microsoft Copilot's new AI image-generating feature, and it solves a real problem

Next up, let's consider Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing chat) , which is a great way to access GPT-4 for free, as it's integrated into its new Bing format. 

You should use Microsoft Copilot if...

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1. You want more up-to-date information

In contrast to the free version of ChatGPT, which is limited to being an AI tool that generates text in a conversational style with information leading up to early 2022, Copilot can access the internet to deliver more current information, complete with links for sources. 

Also: How to use Copilot (formerly called Bing Chat)

There are other benefits, too. Copilot is powered by GPT-4, OpenAI's LLM, and it's completely free to use. Unfortunately, you are limited to five responses on a single conversation, and can only enter up to 2,000 characters in each prompt. 

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Copilot's Precise conversation style answered the question accurately, though other styles fumbled.

Copilot's user interface isn't as straightforward as that of ChatGPT, but it's easy to navigate. Though Bing Chat can access the internet to give you more up-to-date results compared to ChatGPT, I've found it is more prone to stall at replying and altogether miss prompts than its competitor. 

2. You prefer more visual features

Through a series of upgrades to its platform, Microsoft added visual features to Copilot, formerly Bing Chat. At this point, you can ask Copilot questions like, 'What is a Tasmanian devil?' and get an information card in response, complete with photos, lifespan, diet, and more for a more scannable result that is easier to digest than a wall of text. 

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All about the Tasmanian devil on Microsoft Copilot.

When you use Copilot, you can also ask it to create an image for you. Give Copilot the description of what you want the image to look like, and have the chatbot generate four images for you to choose from. 

Also: How to use Image Creator from Microsoft Designer (formerly Bing Image Creator)

Microsoft Copilot also features different conversational styles when you interact with the chatbot, including Creative, Balanced, and Precise, which alter how light or straightforward the interactions are. 

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Both the Balanced and Creative conversation styles in Microsoft Copilot answered my question inaccurately.

Finally, let's turn to Google's Gemini, formerly known as Bard, which uses a different LLM and has received some considerable upgrades in the past few months.

You should use Gemini if...

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1. You want a fast, almost unlimited experience

In my time testing different AI chatbots, I saw  Google Bard catch a lot of flack for different shortcomings . While I'm not going to say they're unjustified, I will say that Google's AI chatbot, now named Gemini, has improved greatly, inside and out.

Also: How to use Gemini (formerly Google Bard): Everything you should know

Gemini is speedy with its answers, which have gotten more accurate over time. It's not faster than ChatGPT Plus, but it can be faster at giving responses than Copilot at times and faster than the free GPT-3.5 version of ChatGPT, though your mileage may vary. 

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Gemini answered accurately, like GPT-4 and Copilot's Precise conversation style.

The previous Bard used to make the same mistake as other bots on my example math problem, by incorrectly using the 5 - 3 = 2 formula, but Gemini, powered by Google's new Gemini Pro, the company's largest and latest LLM. Now, Gemini answers the question accurately.

Also: Apple's new AI model edits photos according to text prompts from users

Gemini is also not limited to a set amount of responses like Microsoft Copilot is. You can have long conversations with Google's Gemini, but Bing is limited to 30 replies in one conversation. Even ChatGPT Plus limits users to 40 messages every three hours. 

2. You want the full Google experience

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Google also incorporated more visual elements into its Gemini platform than those currently available on Copilot. Users can also use Gemini to generate images, can upload photos through an integration with Google Lens , and enjoy Kayak, OpenTable, Instacart, and Wolfram Alpha plugins.

Also: 6 AI tools to supercharge your work and everyday life

But Gemini is slowly becoming a full Google experience thanks to Extensions folding the wide range of Google applications into Gemini. Gemini users can add extensions for Google Workspace, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Flights, and Google Hotels, giving them a more personalized and extensive experience.

Artificial Intelligence

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The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT isn't the only one worth trying

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How to use Gemini (formerly Google Bard): Everything you should know

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Microsoft and Google are proud AI is helping you (other companies not so much)

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Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

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In the biggest mass-market AI launch yet, Google is rolling out Gemini , its family of large language models, across almost all its products, from Android to the iOS Google app to Gmail to Docs and more. You can also now get your hands on Gemini Ultra, the most powerful version of the model, for the first time.  

With this launch, Google is sunsetting Bard , the company's answer to ChatGPT. Bard, which has been powered by a version of Gemini since December, will now be known as Gemini too.  

ChatGPT , released by Microsoft-backed OpenAI just 14 months ago, changed people’s expectations of what computers could do. Google, which has been racing to catch up ever since, unveiled its Gemini family of models in December. They are multimodal large language models that can interact with you via voice, image, and text. Google claimed that its own benchmarking showed that Gemini could outperform OpenAI's multimodal model, GPT-4, on a range of standard tests. But the margins were slim. 

By baking Gemini into its ubiquitous products, Google is hoping to make up lost ground. “Every launch is big, but this one is the biggest yet,” Sissie Hsiao, Google vice president and general manager of Google Assistant and Bard (now Gemini), said in a press conference yesterday. “We think this is one of the most profound ways that we’re going to advance our company’s mission.”

But some will have to wait longer than others to play with Google’s new toys. The company has announced rollouts in the US and East Asia but said nothing about when the Android and iOS apps will come to the UK or the rest of Europe. This may be because the company is waiting for the EU’s new AI Act to be set in stone, says Dragoș Tudorache, a Romanian politician and member of the European Parliament, who was a key negotiator on the law.

“We’re working with local regulators to make sure that we’re abiding by local regime requirements before we can expand,” Hsiao said. “Rest assured, we are absolutely working on it and I hope we’ll be able to announce expansion very, very soon.”

How can you get it? Gemini Pro, Google’s middle-tier model that has been available via Bard since December, will continue to be available for free on the web at gemini.google.com (rather than bard.google.com). But now there is a mobile app as well.

If you have an Android device, you can either download the Gemini app or opt in to an upgrade in Google Assistant. This will let you call up Gemini in the same way that you use Google Assistant: by pressing the power button, swiping from the corner of the screen, or saying “Hey, Google!” iOS users can download the Google app, which will now include Gemini.

Gemini will pop up as an overlay on your screen, where you can ask it questions or give it instructions about whatever’s on your phone at the time, such as summarizing an article or generating a caption for a photo.  

Finally, Google is launching a paid-for service called Gemini Advanced. This comes bundled in a subscription costing $19.99 a month that the company is calling the Google One Premium AI Plan. It combines the perks of the existing Google One Premium Plan, such as 2TB of extra storage, with access to Google's most powerful model, Gemini Ultra, for the first time. This will compete with OpenAI’s paid-for service, ChatGPT Plus, which buys you access to the more powerful GPT-4 (rather than the default GPT-3.5) for $20 a month.

At some point soon (Google didn't say exactly when) this subscription will also unlock Gemini across Google’s Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, where it works as a smart assistant similar to the GPT-4-powered Copilot that Microsoft is trialing in Office 365.

When can you get it? The free Gemini app (powered by Gemini Pro) is available from today in English in the US. Starting next week, you’ll be able to access it across the Asia Pacific region in English and in Japanese and Korean. But there is no word on when the app will come to the UK, countries in the EU, or Switzerland.

Gemini Advanced (the paid-for service that gives access to Gemini Ultra) is available in English in more than 150 countries, including the UK and EU (but not France). Google says it is analyzing local requirements and fine-tuning Gemini for cultural nuance in different countries. But the company promises that more languages and regions are coming.

What can you do with it? Google says it has developed its Gemini products with the help of more than 100 testers and power users. At the press conference yesterday, Google execs outlined a handful of use cases, such as getting Gemini to help write a cover letter for a job application. “This can help you come across as more professional and increase your relevance to recruiters,” said Google’s vice president for product management, Kristina Behr.

Or you could take a picture of your flat tire and ask Gemini how to fix it. A more elaborate example involved Gemini managing a snack rota for the parents of kids on a soccer team. Gemini would come up with a schedule for who should bring snacks and when, help you email other parents, and then field their replies. In future versions, Gemini will be able to draw on data in your Google Drive that could help manage carpooling around game schedules, Behr said.   

But we should expect people to come up with a lot more uses themselves. “I’m really excited to see how people around the world are going to push the envelope on this AI,” Hsaio said.

Is it safe? Google has been working hard to make sure its products are safe to use. But no amount of testing can anticipate all the ways that tech will get used and misused once it is released. In the last few months, Meta saw people use its image-making app to produce pictures of Mickey Mouse with guns and SpongeBob SquarePants flying a jet into two towers. Others used Microsoft’s image-making software to create fake pornographic images of Taylor Swift .

The AI Act aims to mitigate some—but not all—of these problems. For example, it requires the makers of powerful AI like Gemini to build in safeguards, such as watermarking for generated images and steps to avoid reproducing copyrighted material. Google says that all images generated by its products will include its SynthID watermarks. 

Like most companies, Google was knocked onto the back foot when ChatGPT arrived. Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI has given it a boost over its old rival. But with Gemini, Google has come back strong: this is the slickest packaging of this generation’s tech yet. 

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OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora

The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.

Deploying high-performance, energy-efficient AI

Investments into downsized infrastructure can help enterprises reap the benefits of AI while mitigating energy consumption, says corporate VP and GM of data center platform engineering and architecture at Intel, Zane Ball.

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Black Voices in Poetry & Literature

In recognition of Black History Month, we’ve curated a reading list spotlighting the rich voices of Black poets and literary authors. These works delve into themes such as societal discord, heartbreak, family, love, survival, resistance, and grief. Navigating shape-shifting landscapes and haunted memories, the poems introduce us to resilient individuals confronting oppression. Collectively, they challenge preconceptions about race, identity, and history, weaving a diverse tapestry of narratives that broadens our perspective on the profound contributions of Black writers.

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what is voice literature

From The University of Chicago Press

Mandible Wishbone Solvent 

By Asiya Wadud

“Wadud’s astounding new poems—many of them ekphrastic, all of them rigorously intricate, supersaturated—come across to me as both hard-edged and liminal. Enacting the dynamic relationship between figure and ground, center and edge, they frame the constant unfolding of meaning’s dimensions, its reverberations.”—Mónica de la Torre, author of Repetition Nineteen

Negro Mountain

By C. S. Giscombe

“Haunted by the memory of a ‘colossal’ Black man who died on Negro Mountain, Giscombe’s text returns to the eponymous landmark of an obscure historical figure. Giscombe’s itinerant poetic speakers, in their restless incarnations, have mapped territories, ridden the rails, and followed foxes. In Negro Mountain, they walk with wolves, crossing boundaries, escaping enclosure, always shape-shifting as they guide the reader through passages where the self is also the mythic other.”—Harryette Mullen, author of Urban Tumbleweed

From Autumn House Press

Discordant  

By Richard Hamilton

“The poems of Discordant will haunt you—like a tune that orients your ear to what you weren’t attuned to, like a cut that slices through the noisy distractions of the day. Hamilton is chopping up language, rewriting the score on poetic forms, and dissecting our racist-capitalist society at the same time, mixing and mingling the discourses of philosophy, culture, politics, healthcare, labor, and love, until we remember they all occupy and describe the same world. I’m grateful for this piercing, necessary voice.”—Evie Shockley, author of suddenly we

By Cameron Barnett

“Murmur is in fact a glorious shout. These poems shake up histories, both intimate and political. They stir and disturb the ways we look at love, at race, at our people and ourselves. A bold, beautiful, and brilliant collection!”—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

From CavanKerry Press

Glitter Road

By January Gill O’Neil

“The alluring poems in Glitter Road delve into past heartbreaks and the exquisite joy of family and new found love in a constantly changing world. In sure and talented hands like O’Neil’s, vibrant landscapes whirl, take root, and break bread with ghosts. It’s clear these heart-filled poems will have a full and magnificent life of their own.”—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of Oceanic

By Angelique Zobitz (With a Foreword by Grisel Y. Acosta)

“Angelique Zobitz’s Seraphim radiates with flames and fierceness. Steeped in survival and salvation, devastation and affirmation, incantation and citation, Seraphim is a tribute to revolutions, delivering homage to an array of Black women including bell hooks, Roberta Flack, Megan Thee Stallion, and “Black Barbies backlit by gas station fluorescence / stunning—singing holy, holy, holy.” In Seraphim’s choral and volcanic world, Zobitz alchemizes terror into courage. In doing so, she “expose[s] what’s damaged to scrutiny and light,” inviting the reader toward their own revolution and revelation as she reminds us to “let sing, every word.”—Simone Muench, author of Hex & Howl

From Omnidawn Publishing, Inc.

By Ruth Ellen Kocher

“Kocher’s devastating collection of poems, godhouse, prefigures grief in its emergence from ‘blunder’ and ‘nothing.’ Like Ralph Ellison’s ‘Invisible Man,’ the speaker in Kocher’s godhouse holds a knife in her teeth against a shadow world of hunter and hunted in which survival is necessarily mystical. Unnerved and unnerving these poems are a barbiturate gaze’s disinhibition through the tattered dystopia of an American life. Heady, emotional, and meticulously crafted, godhouse leaves no room for delusion in its blade, pointed right at whomever might pose a threat.”—Dawn Lundy Martin, author of Good Stock Strange Blood

Letters from the Black Ark

By D.S. Marriott

“Marriot’s Letters From The Black Ark remains alive as sonority by resistance, by magnetic vernacular flaming, ‘balancing a blade on one’s shoulders’ as insouciance, as living cellular presence, flairing as it does from a temperature of mazes.”—Will Alexander, author of Divine Blue Light (for John Coltrane)

vanishing point.

By Kimberly Reyes

“Kimberly Reyes has written an innovative and magnetic book. Each poem spirals beautifully by itself but when I finished reading, I realized I had encountered and entered new architecture. Here, thinking radiates to illuminate the ‘absorbing ghosts’ of the self and the familial and the ‘living shadows’ of oppressive historical forces. Here, the language is lyrical, layered, and spectral. Here, the ‘hyphen is a rejection of negative space.’ Reyes is an astonishingly gifted poet and this book enlarges and complicates what the page can hold back, reveal.”—Eduardo Corral, author of Guillotine

From Seagull Books

Blues in the Blood

By Julien Delmaire (Translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan)

A moving ode to the Mississippi delta inspired by magical realism and written in vibrant and poetic prose.

The Language of Languages

By Ngugi wa Thiong’o

With clear, conversational prose, this is the first book dedicated entirely to Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s writings on translation.

Seasons in Hippoland

By Wanjiku Wa Ngugi

“Part fairy tale, part political parable, Seasons in Hippoland is a powerful novel whose women are resilient and creative in the face of oppression.”— Foreword Reviews

Twilight of Torment

By Léonora Miano (Translated by Gila Walker)

“Ms. Miano’s essential premise is that a profound ‘subterranean wound’ was inflicted by colonialism, and that collective injury has continued through falsely enforced social hierarchies and self-immolating psychic resentments . . . The incantatory quality of the writing conjures this heightened, almost religiously attentive feeling, creating a sense of mystical potential even as the story itself dwells in suffering.”— The Wall Street Journal

GameRant

Steve Burton Vs Cody Christian: Who Voices FF7's Cloud Better?

  • Burton's deeper voice carries gravitas, authenticity, and subtle nuance, making Cloud a compelling man of mystery.
  • Christian's youthful tone and naturalistic delivery capture Cloud's younger years and vulnerability, evoking empathy from fans.
  • While Christian benefits from a better script, Burton's two-decade-long tenure and experience allow him to deliver impactful performances and create an intimidating presence befitting a battle-hardened warrior.

Cloud Strife has had quite a journey, both onscreen and behind the scenes. The main hero of Final Fantasy 7 , he's an enhanced warrior with a tragic past, which even he is unaware of. Likewise, fans were initially unaware of what he even sounded like. The original game had no voice acting, so the first time that Western audiences heard Cloud speak was in the English dub of Kingdom Hearts . He was voiced by Steve Burton, who reprised the role in several sequels, crossovers, and FF7 tie-ins. For all intents and purpose, he was the mainstay voice of the tortured hero. Sadly, this casting was not to last.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake opted for a clean slate, meaning an entirely new cast for its iconic characters. Voicing Cloud was Cody Christian. He then reprised the role for the other entries in the Remake trilogy. It's safe to say he'll remain in the SOLDIER merc's shoes for the foreseeable future.

Video Games With The Most Immersive Voice Acting

As is the case whenever a character changes hands, fans love to debate who is a better fit. Both actors have their merits. However, who is truly worthy of the Buster Sword and Cloud's mantle?

Christian: Youth

A lighter tone captures cloud's younger years, crisis core: final fantasy 7 reunion.

Franchise Final Fantasy

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox One

Released December 13, 2022

Developer(s) Tose, Square Enix

Christian is noticeably younger. In fact, he sounds like he's still going through puberty. As unflattering as that description seems, it suits Cloud's youthful appearance. What's more, is that he never devolves into whiny teenage melodrama like some other Final Fantasy figures . This ability helps when dealing with the character's past.

It's especially appropriate in the Crisis Core remake. Here, Cloud is a kid who's unsure of himself and lacking any confidence. Christian is definitely more convincing at capturing that naïveté. The mainline FF7 only takes place a few years later, so fans could argue that he shouldn't sound any different.

Burton: Gravitas

A deep voice carries intensity and pathos.

By contrast, Burton has a much lower register. His Cloud sounds older while still suiting the design. In addition, he's not as outwardly expressive when hitting the emotional notes. One might think this defeats the purpose of voice acting, especially given the heightened emotionality of most JRPGs.

On the contrary, Burton is extremely effective. In real life, combat veterans tend to keep things close to their chest. Thus, a deep voice is more authentic for a member of SOLDIER. That's not to say he has no emotion, though.

Burton's restraint actually carries more pathos. His subtle nuance hints at the turmoil within rather than showing it. This approach intrigues audiences while leaving them wanting more . As a result, Cloud is a compelling man of mystery.

Christian: Script

Great material is a solid foundation for any performance, final fantasy 7 remake.

Platform(s) PS5, PS4, PC

Released April 10, 2020

Developer(s) Square Enix Business Division 1

The fundamental disadvantage of Burton is that he often works with hokey scripts. Not only do the writers try to turn Cloud into Squall from Final Fantasy 8 , but they saddle him with sappy clichés and awkward exchanges straight out of a poorly translated anime. One minute, he may engage in monosyllabic brooding. The next, he goes off on diatribes about "light vs. darkness" and cherishing his friends. These goofy lines get both laughs and cries from fans . Luckily, the developers strive to fix that issue.

10 JRPGs With Bad But Endearing Voice Acting

Final Fantasy 7 Remake seems to overhaul its dialogue. The script is more organic and less like a silly anime. Because of that, Christian's delivery is fairly naturalistic. Granted, a lackluster script isn't the fault of the actors. Nevertheless, better material usually leads to a more believable performance.

Burton: Experience

A longer tenure can elevate lesser writing, kingdom hearts.

Franchise Kingdom Hearts

Platform(s) PS2

Released September 17, 2002

Developer(s) Square Enix

As schmaltzy as the scripts can get, Burton has plenty of practice. Again, he began voicing Cloud in the first Kingdom Hearts title , which was released in 2002. He stuck around until the FF7 Remake in 2020. That's nearly two decades. During that time, Square Enix placed the character in a plethora of plots and scenarios: Kingdom Hearts 2 , Advent Children , Crisis Core , the Dissidia series, World of Final Fantasy , and more. This long tenure has let him familiarize himself with the hero, becoming fully comfortable with his tone and inflections. Such confidence leads to conviction.

Burton's delivery can leave a tremendous impact with just a few words. He tackles the clunky exchanges with such passion that one has to admire his devotion. Coming from him, these goofy lines almost sound good. Of course, that's no surprise. Much of his screen work consists of soap operas like Days of Our Lives and General Hospital . He's learned to make the most of melodramatic material.

Christian: Vulnerability

Emotional trauma is easy to empathize with, even from a tough merc.

At the center of Cloud's character is a frightened child who's in awe of SOLDIER yet insecure about himself. Scared of his own past, he suffers from dissociative flashbacks and lapses in memory . He's not even sure of who he is.

Final Fantasy: 6 Main Characters With The Most Tragic Fates

That uncertainty is more prominent in Christian's performance. Fans feel his fear and emotional immaturity, especially during the dramatic scenes. His stern persona gives way to a higher pitch, which sells the crushing heartbreak. He's in over his head, both physically and psychologically. In turn, players pity the poor protagonist.

Burton: Intimidation

A natural edge suits a hardened soldier, dissidia final fantasy.

Platform(s) PSP

Released August 25, 2009

This is another area where Burton's deeper voice helps him. His tone conveys a natural intensity. It's strong and booming with a rough undertone. These qualities make him credible as a battle-hardened warrior. He sounds like someone who's easy to get behind. More importantly, he's a guy whom no one wants to fight.

Whenever Christian tries to turn up the toughness, he flounders. It's not due to any missteps on his part; his voice just isn't intimidating. Thankfully, that's not a problem with Burton. Audiences can tell that his Cloud is a man of action just by listening to him.

Winner: Burton

Vocal nuance and deep conviction create a more intriguing hero.

Ultimately, Burton remains the quintessential voice for Cloud. His inherent edge is worthy of SOLDIER. It gives him a deeply empowering presence, even in his lowest moments . At the same time, he doesn't forgo the character's emotional side.

His understated charisma makes it more poignant. He delivers the drama in a less showy fashion while betraying just enough to carry palpable weight. He comes off as a man who's buried his demons, but he can call on them if needs be. The emphasis on implicit over explicit works wonders, as it often does with tortured characters. In short, less is more.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Platform(s) PlayStation 5

Released February 29, 2024

Steve Burton Vs Cody Christian: Who Voices FF7's Cloud Better?

IMAGES

  1. Voice Definition In Literature

    what is voice literature

  2. What Is Voice in Writing? Character and Author Perspectives

    what is voice literature

  3. What Is Voice in Writing? [Examples Included]

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  4. Analyzing Voice in Literature

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  5. PPT

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  6. Voice in Literature and Writing

    what is voice literature

VIDEO

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  2. Lit Project

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  6. Routledge History of literature in English #series3

COMMENTS

  1. Voice in Literature: Definition & Examples

    Voice (VOYss) is the opinion or attitude authors express in their writing, an aspect of literature that better connects the reader to the material. It's also an element of the narrator's perspective, or what they bring to the piece based on their background, opinions, culture, and life experience.

  2. Voice: Definitions and Examples

    What is Voice? In literature, the voice expresses the narrator or author's emotions, attitude, tone and point of view through artful, well thought out use of word choice and diction.

  3. Voice

    Definition of Voice A voice in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself herself into words, and provides a sense that the character is real person, conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey.

  4. What Is Voice in Writing? [Examples Included]

    In writing, "voice" refers to the mixture of tone, word choice, point of view, syntax, punctuation, and rhythm that make up sentences and paragraphs. Novels can have many voices, like those of the author, the narrator, and the individual characters.

  5. The Writer's Voice in Literature and Rhetoric

    In rhetoric and literary studies, voice is the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator . As discussed below, voice is one of the most elusive yet important qualities in a piece of writing . "Voice is usually the key element in effective writing," says teacher and journalist Donald Murray.

  6. Voice Examples and Definition

    Voice in literature is the individual style in which a certain author writes his or her works. Voice includes many different literary devices and stylistic techniques, including syntax, semantics, diction, dialogue, character development, tone, pacing, and even punctuation.

  7. What Is the Writer's Voice? How to Find Your Writing Voice

    In literature, "voice" refers to the rhetorical mixture of vocabulary, tone, point of view, and syntax that makes phrases, sentences, and paragraphs flow in a particular manner. Novels can represent multiple voices: that of the narrator and those of individual characters. What Is the Difference Between the Author's Voice and Character's Voice?

  8. Voice

    1 Definition of Voice 2 Author's Voice or Character's Voice? 3 Examples of Voice in Literature 4 FAQs 5 Related Literary Terms 6 Other Resources Definition of Voice Voice is the style an author uses when they're writing. It is unique to each writer, but some have a more defined voice than others.

  9. List of Voice Types in Literature

    The literary voice is the lens or viewpoint from which a story is told. Writers use this storytelling device to draw readers into the narrative. It helps you, as the writer, include descriptive detail and extra information without distracting from the plot or topic. Choice of literary voice depends on intent and the tone you wish to set.

  10. The Term Voice Defined in Writing

    A character's voice is the speech and thought patterns of characters in a narrative. The latter voice is one of the most vital elements of a story for readers of fiction. The Author's Voice: A Writer's Unique Identifier A writer's tone, choice of words, selection of subject matter, and even punctuation make up the authorial voice.

  11. Voice in Writing

    Voice in a written work can be defined as the individual personality of a piece of writing, which a narrator often delivers. This is a deceptively simple answer. In practice, the voice in a...

  12. Guide to Literary Terms Voice

    Voice. Voice has two applications as a literary term: authorial and character voice. Both are distinct from anyone else's. An author's voice is the distinct way he or she writes compared to all ...

  13. What Is Voice in Writing? Character and Author Perspectives

    Voice is all about using a specific vocabulary, tone, point of view, and sentence structure that conveys meaning to a story or novel. Voice in writing has three distinct meanings. There's the author's voice, the character's voice and the narrator's voice. The author's voice includes noticeable details regarding a writer's style.

  14. What is a Writer's Voice & Tips for Finding Your Writing Voice

    A writer's voice, also called a literary voice, is a blend of the writer's personal style, tone, personality, vocabulary, syntax, and unique experiences. In simpler terms, it's the personal expression of that writer and no one else.

  15. Understanding the Definition of Voice: A Comprehensive Guide

    Quick recap: In fiction, your voice is the storyteller. In non-fiction, voice makes your writing engaging. In poetry, your voice is your heart. In academic writing, a clear voice makes your work credible. So, no matter what type of writing you're tackling, your voice has a role to play.

  16. What's the Difference Between Tone and Voice?

    Your writing voice can consist of words you do or don't use when you write, turns of phrase you're fond of, the way you write a sentence, or the way you structure an argument—your voice is the fingerprint you leave on your writing so that someone can identify it as yours. A company's voice consists of the aspects of the brand that don ...

  17. What is Voice in Writing? [& How to Find Yours]

    In writing, "voice" is how you speak and think. It's all about the words you use and the patterns in your writing. Do you use a lot of rhetorical questions? Long or short sentences? Slang? Those are all ways your voice might come through in your writing. Let's look at a few examples of voice.

  18. Writer's Voice: What Is It and How to Find Yours

    . It's not their brand. The writer's voice isn't something you can measure; it's subjective. But possible to be defined and identified. The writer's voice doesn't include only wording, grammar or structure: it's much more than that. It's the personal way the writer sees the world, how s/he translates it.

  19. Voice-Driven Fiction

    Agent Rachelle Gardner says, "One of the most common problems with fiction by new authors is the lack of a unique voice on the page.". On the other hand, if the voice pulls an agent in, maybe she or he will take a chance. In an article in Slice Magazine, agent Carrie Howland says, " I very often take on books with potential, because I fall in love with the voice and writing, even if the ...

  20. Voice definition and example literary device

    A voice in literature is the form or a format through which narrators tell their stories. It is prominent when a writer places himself herself into words, and provides a sense that the character is real person, conveying a specific message the writer intends to convey. In simple words, it is an author's individual writing style or point of view.

  21. Tone vs. Mood vs. Voice: What Are the Differences?

    Tone vs. Voice: What distinguishes tone from voice is its unique point of view. For instance, an author can have a "narrative voice" that establishes a gritty tone for a novel. But the key distinction here is the element of who. You can set a consistent tone in a novel but tell it from two characters' perspectives, establishing two unique ...

  22. What is a Narrative Voice?

    This is where narrative voice comes in. Narrative voice refers to the perspective or point of view from which a story is told. It is the voice of the narrator, the person or entity who is telling the story. Narrative voice can have a big impact on the overall tone and mood of a story, and can also affect the reader's level of immersion and ...

  23. The Freaks Came Out to Write: Village Voice vs. Robert Moses

    ED FANCHER (Voice co-founder and publisher, 1955-1974): She was a housewife and a neighbor of mine. She had a great deal to do with destroying the career of Robert Moses because of the highway ...

  24. ChatGPT vs. Microsoft Copilot vs. Gemini: Which is the best AI chatbot?

    A new wave of AI tools has taken the world by storm and given us a vision for a new way of working and finding the information that can streamline our work and our lives. We show you the ways ...

  25. Google's Gemini is now in everything. Here's how you can try it out

    Google, which has been racing to catch up ever since, unveiled its Gemini family of models in December. They are multimodal large language models that can interact with you via voice, image, and text.

  26. OpenAI introduces AI model that turns text into video

    The software, called Sora, is currently available for red teaming, which helps identify flaws in the AI system, as well as for use by visual artists, designers and filmmakers to gain feedback on ...

  27. Black Voices in Poetry & Literature

    In recognition of Black History Month, we've curated a reading list spotlighting the rich voices of Black poets and literary authors. These works delve into themes such as societal discord, heartbreak, family, love, survival, resistance, and grief.

  28. Steve Burton Vs Cody Christian: Who Voices FF7's Cloud Better?

    Burton's deeper voice carries gravitas, authenticity, and subtle nuance, making Cloud a compelling man of mystery. Christian's youthful tone and naturalistic delivery capture Cloud's younger years ...