The Secrets to Creating Character Voices Readers Will Remember

A Writing Process for Crafting Character Voices

Greetings,

Recently, a writer asked how I developed the teen voice for Tracie, the main character in my young adult novel, Run Girl Run . This week, my post is about my writing process for creating character voices. These steps work for me, and if you’re a writer who is struggling, they may help you.

What is a Character’s Voice?

A character’s voice refers to the distinctive way a character thinks, speaks, and expresses themselves in a story. It's a mixture of their personality and views, which are influenced by their experiences and background.

My teenage character, Tracie, conveyed her voice through her dialogue, inner thoughts, and actions. I pulled her characteristics from several girls I knew while growing up and others I met since then.

A well-defined character voice makes a character believable and helps readers connect with them on a deeper level.

Use These Six Elements to Shape a Character’s Voice:

1. Tone and Attitude

Decide upon the tone of the story and the character’s attitude. In my coming-of-age novel, Tracie’s attitude reflects how she feels about her world. From the beginning, the reader is privy to her angst and fear of her father. The tone paints a picture for the reader.

The writer must know their character well enough to understand the character’s state of mind. When I wrote Run Girl Run , I had to remember what it was like to be a teenage girl. I had to get into Tracie’s mind and pretend I was having the experiences she had. Actors often do this to get ready for a movie shoot. It’s my goal to let the reader experience my stories as if they were living within the pages. Creating a character voice is part of the process, though many bloggers don’t differentiate this step from character development.

2. Speech Patterns

How does the character talk? Does she use slang, short, choppy sentences or does she ramble? Sometimes, I eavesdrop on people when I’m not sure how I should write a story. Studying the dialogue from movies and books also helps.

Quirks, such as specific word choices, idioms, or catchphrases, can make a character’s voice memorable. For example, in the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby used to address other men by calling them “old sport.” I noticed Gatsby said it so often it became his signature line.

3. Cultural Background and Life Experience

A character's upbringing, education, and environment heavily influences their voice. For instance, Tracie from Run Girl Run remained guarded after running away with her friend, Cal. Her past triggered trust issues, and I had to show readers how her father’s abuse affected her.

4. Inner Monologue

The character's thoughts provide insight into how they see the world and how they process events. These opinions reveal more than spoken words, and readers relate to the character’s emotions.

5. Consistency

The voice should remain consistent throughout the story, even as characters grow and change.

Relationships between primary and secondary characters are also relevant. Character actions must stay true to their beliefs. For instance, an established honest character doesn’t suddenly become dishonest unless a plot twist appears. In these cases, the author usually drops subtle hints along the way.

During a draft revision, I identified an inconsistent character and fixed the problem before I queried the manuscript. Mistakes happen.

When writing, ask yourself if a character’s beliefs are consistent with their actions. If not, why not?

6. Purpose and Motivation

What does the character want, and how does that influence their communication? Their actions must match their voice. A character driven by revenge might speak with sharpness and intensity, while one motivated by love might have a softer, more nurturing voice.

Applying the Principles

Without a strong character voice, readers lose interest. The secret to developing voice is to develop the point-of-view character. Here is a writing exercise to practice this skill.

• Create a character:

Narrow the description to a dominant impression for the reader.

Pick an adjective and a vocation to show how other people might perceive him.

I’ll give an example: a cranky waiter

• Choose his physical features:

Short, stubby body type, thinning hair, flatter nose, frown on face, tattoo of a bulldog on his forearm.

• Describe the character’s background:

Where did he grow up? Think about his family life. What is his economic situation? What is his highest level of education? What pop culture items did he identify with as a younger person? Examples: movies, music, sports teams, etc.

Let’s pretend our cranky waiter grew up in the inner city. He never met his father. His mother adored him, but she died when he turned eighteen. He grew up in poverty and lives paycheck to paycheck. He likes Katy Perry, chili dogs, and wrestling matches. It’s important to note not all of these details will be revealed in the exercise. The details are for the writer’s benefit to help develop an accurate voice.

• Give him a past life-altering event that affects him today.

Our waiter has a criminal record for theft, and though he has paid his debt to society, no one will give him a higher-paying job.

• What does the character desire? What are his goals and dreams?

The man wants less stress at work. He wants to be respected and make a better wage.

Can you see the guy? I can. If I couldn’t, I’d search Google for images until I found him. Sometimes I save the photo if I’m using the character in a novel.

• Let’s make a character’s voice journal.

You can create a character using the above prompts. Jotting down the details will serve as a tool to help develop the character’s personality.

How do you think he talks and expresses himself? We can base his words on his core values. What is his attitude about life? What makes him mad or happy? What is important to him? Use any demeanor you like.

I’ll make a quick voice journal using our cranky waiter.

Here it goes:

“When it’s noon at the ole slop house, you can bet thirty tables will fill up within fifteen minutes. We’re down two servers, and I’ve been bustin’ my hump. Me waitin’ ten tables an hour. It’s always the same breakfast skippin’ crowd. They’re starvin’ like stray dogs. Double cheeseburgers with double onion rings, and double fries. I’m runnin’ in fifteen directions. Gimme ketchup. Gimme another Pepsi. Gimme more napkins. Gimme water. Gimme, gimme, gimme. They got me trippin’ over my feet and spillin’ the drinks. Last week I dropped a glass of ice water in a lady’s lap. Cost me my tip.”

The cranky waiter could rant forever if I let him, but I think you get the idea. He sees the world his own way, and the writer must give him a personality on paper for him to have a voice. His voice isn’t fully developed. If I put him somewhere besides work, I will need to decide how he will react to different situations. Remember voice is more than dialogue. The actions and inner monologue matter, too.

Now imagine the server is Mindy, a teenager working at Chucky Cheese. She is a cheerful girl who loves pepperoni pizza and adores little kids. She’s working a summer job to buy a scooter. What might she say if she has a bubbly personality, and I give her a voice?

For voices to come out of a character, the author must identify with the character’s feelings so closely, they merge. Writers must draw on personal experiences to craft believable characters. Express the emotion, and the reader will feel the same way.

If I write a story about a divorced homemaker going on a job interview, I must identify with her emotions when telling her story. If she feels nervous and insecure, I must write from my own heart. I must pretend I’m the homemaker when writing the story. The writer becomes the character temporarily to garner empathy for the character. If a writer doesn’t have empathy for the character, neither will the reader.

Try the above techniques when writing your next story. For further instructions, read Voice by James Scott Bell.

How to Know if a Voice is Working

The more eyes the better. Ask alpha readers, beta readers and editors to point out the places where the story needs revision. If you don’t have those people in your life, I recommend joining a writer’s group.

Read the story aloud. I do. I also use Microsoft’s free version of Read Aloud when editing my work. Listen carefully, and you’ll spot areas that may need a revision.

Your Turn:

What process have you used to develop your character’s voice? Drop a comment to help others. And if you like this post, share it.