Rowanvale Books
  • Home
    • Self Publishing Wales
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Not Sure Where To Start?
    • Rowanvale's Five Commandments
    • Meet The Team
    • Manuscript Guidelines
    • Design Galleries >
      • Design Gallery - Chrissie
      • Design Gallery - Rebeckah
      • Design Gallery - Kayleigh
      • Design Gallery - Alex
    • Meet Our Authors
  • Our Services
    • Pre-Publication Services >
      • Proofreading and Editing
      • Book Illustrations Service
      • Writing Advisor Service
      • Scanning And Typing Service
      • Editorial Assessment
      • Literary Agent Package
      • Beta Readers
      • Custom Book Cover Design Service
      • Developmental Editing
    • Publication Services >
      • Children's Book Publishing
      • Paperback/Hardback Publishing
      • eBook Publishing
      • eBook and Paperback Publishing Package
      • KDP Publishing Package
    • Post-Publication Services >
      • Amazon Analysis
      • ARC and Book Review Service
      • PR Services
      • Marketing And Aftercare
  • Blog
  • Bookstore
    • New Releases
  • FAQs
  • Our Reviews
  • Contact Us

Finding Your Voice

25/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Narrative voice sets the tone of the novel and gives it a ‘personality’, aside from the characters and plot. It is an important element of writing to get right, and there are several things to consider when creating the right voice… ​

Point of view is perhaps the most vital aspect of narrative voice, and is probably one of the first decisions you’ll have to make in this respect. Do you want a reliable narrator or an unreliable one? Third person or first? Omniscient or limited? 

Of course, there are things that will help you choose a point of view. 
For example, if you want to show your main character’s direct thoughts, then a first-person narrator might be your best bet. Just bear in mind that you’ll be limited to writing about what that character thinks and witnesses. 

If you want to show events that occur without the main character present, then it may be worth considering using third-person narration to show the viewpoints of different characters. An omniscient viewpoint is the most liberating option, and doesn’t limit what the narrative voice can see or think. However, it’s worth noting that this style of narration can make it difficult to let the reader into the thoughts of the characters, and changing point-of-view characters too frequently can become jarring and confusing to the reader. 

A risky and less common option is a second-person narrator. This is great for allowing the reader to witness events in the narrative as themselves, but also makes it hard for them to become lost in the narrative, as they are constantly reminded that they exist as an outside witness. 
You should play around and see where the plot takes you to figure out which point of view strikes you as the best to use. 
​

Sensibility is perhaps a more overlooked aspect of narrative voice. To capture a character’s sensibility, a writer must put themselves entirely into the character’s shoes in order to convey a point of view that may differ greatly from their own. 

Picture
Try thinking about how a youthful person may think and act… Instead of being confident, as an older person may be, they may be much more insecure. Without having experienced enough of the world to know better, they may obsess over trivial problems instead of the bigger picture. Rather than being settled into a job and family, they may be wracked with doubts and struggling to find their place in the world. 

Of course, when writing about a character in a totally different situation to your own, research is key. If you’re writing about a character with a prosthetic leg, for example, and don’t have one yourself, then it’s definitely worth talking to someone who has a prosthetic leg and is willing to share their thoughts and experiences about their situation. 
 
If you’re writing about a character who has just witnessed their pet being put down, try talking to somebody who has been in that situation and is willing to share their experiences. Channel these genuine thoughts and emotions into your writing, and you’ll find that you can create a much more relatable and realistic character voice. 

Which point of view do you prefer to write in? Why? Do you ever struggle to get into the heads of your characters? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts in the comments! 
 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    January 2021

    Categories

    All
    Book Distribution
    Marketing
    Royalties
    Self Publishing Guide
    Self-publishing Guide
    Social Media
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Services

Children's Publishing
Paperback Publishing
eBook Publishing
KDP Publishing
All Format Publishing
Book Illustrations
Writing Advisor
Scanning & Typing
Editorial Assessment
Proofreading & Editing
Literary Agents
Beta Readers
Custom Book Cover Design
Developmental Editing
Amazon Analysis
ARC Review Service
PR Service
Marketing & Aftercare

Company

Meet The Team
Accessibility
Contact Us

Support

FAQs
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Rowanvale Books is the largest and one of the longest running self-publishing companies in Wales.
Visit us on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn below.
UK: 02921 280 895
Intl: (+44) 2921 280 895
e: info@rowanvalebooks.com
Picture

© Rowanvale Books Ltd 2023
Registered in Wales | Company Registration No. 8820249
Website Powered By Digitally Brilliant
  • Home
    • Self Publishing Wales
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Not Sure Where To Start?
    • Rowanvale's Five Commandments
    • Meet The Team
    • Manuscript Guidelines
    • Design Galleries >
      • Design Gallery - Chrissie
      • Design Gallery - Rebeckah
      • Design Gallery - Kayleigh
      • Design Gallery - Alex
    • Meet Our Authors
  • Our Services
    • Pre-Publication Services >
      • Proofreading and Editing
      • Book Illustrations Service
      • Writing Advisor Service
      • Scanning And Typing Service
      • Editorial Assessment
      • Literary Agent Package
      • Beta Readers
      • Custom Book Cover Design Service
      • Developmental Editing
    • Publication Services >
      • Children's Book Publishing
      • Paperback/Hardback Publishing
      • eBook Publishing
      • eBook and Paperback Publishing Package
      • KDP Publishing Package
    • Post-Publication Services >
      • Amazon Analysis
      • ARC and Book Review Service
      • PR Services
      • Marketing And Aftercare
  • Blog
  • Bookstore
    • New Releases
  • FAQs
  • Our Reviews
  • Contact Us