There is this little exercise I like to do when I’m first putting pen to paper on a book. I like to put each character through different scenarios to see how they tick, to get a feel for who they are, and most importantly, to figure out a character’s voice.
It’s nothing unique. Many writers do the same. My approach is to carry a character with me throughout my day. As I work through chores, grocery shop, the morning commute, dealing with kids. Everything is a situation where this character has a chance to breathe, to grow into something more than just my inner-neuroses coming out on the page. (Though there is some of that too. Absolutely.)
Will they be snarky? Will they be sincere? Are they genuinely good or is there some selfishness in there as well? This is just exploration for how they evolve into a living, breathing character in your writing.
Does it work?
Most of the time. The more you can think about a character’s motivations, about their background–from family situation to marital status–everything adds to the ultimate voice that comes out on the page.
A character’s voice is the lifeblood of a novel. I’ve come to realize this even more as I’ve edited DSA this month. Whenever there is a change to dialogue recommended by my editor, I come back to who is speaking and why it sounds the way it does. Ben Riley, the lead in DSA, tends to be sarcastic and offers up inane and very long-winded ways to respond to simple questions. It’s who he is. He likes the sound of his own voice because if the only other option is silence it isn’t going to work for him. Ever.
Get a feel for your character’s voice. Let it drive their narrative.
I just finished reading Brian Michael Bendis’ Avengers run this month. For those who don’t know, Bendis was one of my favorite writers from about 2000 to 2012. I’m a big dialogue guy so whenever I needed to hear a voice, to get that conversational rhythm of a piece, I would break out a Bendis book to read.
Bendis wrote the Avengers from 2004 – 2013. Over 200 issues. From a storytelling point of view, the run is fantastic. It truly represents the best of what Marvel Comics was publishing during those years.
From a dialogue standpoint?
Everyone sounds the same. It’s sad to read it again and realize there are only a few characters that stand on their own–that have something unique about their voice. Spider-Man is one. He nails Spider-Man so well in this run. But if you look at Tony Stark, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist and a dozen others, there is no difference between any of them. I could read the dialogue to you and you would never know who said it.
That’s a weakness I’ve been trying to avoid. Is it an easy trap to fall into? Definitely. But if you take the time to really pull your character’s apart to find that unique voice, your writing will be stronger for it.
Guaranteed.
