Dear Writer Guy,
I often get feedback that my characters sound the same (voice). What process do you recommend to build distinctions in each character’s voice?
Thanks,
Judy
Dear Judy,
At the root of it, this is first a matter of getting out of YOUR head and getting into your characters’ heads. Early on, all our characters might sound the same because we haven’t really worked out what distinguishes them from each other. In my own writing, I find that a lot of the hard work of character differentiation takes place not in the first draft but in later drafts.
When you’re working on making each character’s voice distinctive, here are some things to bear in mind:
Education level
How much schooling has each character had? Do they speak standard English, or in an ungrammatical, unschooled way? How much slang do they use, and is it natural or affected, as in suburban kids who try to sound “street”?
Social level
As classless as we sometimes consider ourselves to be here in the U.S., we still recognize the difference between social levels when we hear it. A character whose family is rich will likely sound different from one born on the wrong side of the tracks. (And if not, there should be a good reason for it.)
Jargon
Every insular group, whether it’s the Army, a theater group, or a motorcycle club, has its own jargon. If your character is a member of an in-group, sprinkle some of its jargon into his speech (making sure to keep it understandable by context).
Ethnic group
How long has your character lived in this country? If she or her parents were born elsewhere, that could lead to an occasional use of foreign words and phrases or an unusual manner of speaking English. And even among third- or fourth-generation children of immigrants, a certain lingo will crop up. Check out episodes of The Sopranos and notice how often Italian words come from the mouths of these born-and-raised Americans.
Age
A kindergartner and a sixth grader talk differently — in terms of vocabulary, sentence complexity, grammar, and so forth — and a high school senior sounds different from both. Examine your dialog through the lens of age, making sure that word choice and sentence length fit your speaker’s level of development.
Personality
A brusque, impatient person will speak in shorter fragments and interrupt frequently. A talkative person will go on and on, never using one word when five will do even better. A jokester will crack wise and riff off of what others say. In setting up your cast, first make sure you’ve got different types represented, then have them talk in a way that’s consistent with their personality.
If you take time to consider all these elements, whether in your first or tenth draft, you’ll find your characters aren’t just speaking with your voice, they’re speaking with their OWN voices. And that’s when things get really fun.
Happy writing,
Writer Guy
