Voice

The most difficult part of tackling a new story is not necessarily a concern of how a story will end, are the characters fleshed out sufficiently, or is my story arc worthy. For me, the story writes itself and I later analyze it - just had this discussion the other day with a friend and a manuscript on which I'm coaching. The idea has to first be put down on paper - or a computer screen.

When there is a stumbling block, a difficulty in accomplishing even the first draft, it is often not the plot or the characters, or that a scene has no resolution. It is that the story is not being properly told - meaning the voice of the narrator is not properly selected.

Think about your favorite book. Who is the narrator? It may be a first person account by the protagonist or by a bystander, by a book or a crow - it varies drastically. Well, sometimes a story is being told by the wrong person - maybe it shouldn't be in a particular person's perspective but in a third person omnipotent point of view, or vice versa.

I've rewritten entire stories because, at the end, I realized the voice was not right. There are things a character partaking in the story may know or may not be allowed to know - how does one choose? What is to be revealed? Is this hindsight? And here is where voice gets even more complicated with tense - is it past tense or present tense?

We've all been told that stories told in multiple POV's is too dangerous - each chapter dedicated to another's perspective. Two narrators are doable, generally speaking, but more than that we are told is a gamble.

Why not gamble? What is story writing anyway but a huge gamble on whether it will get finished, published, liked, approved of, well critiqued...?

I say there are no rules except what you (and maybe your agent or editor) feel is the correct voice. I'm an organic writer - it has to feel right. This feeling is almost like a scent or a melody running in the background that is either right or wrong. It is during the rewriting stage that it will be closely analyzed, where details will be added or unnecessary scenes deleted, and where the voice either goes flat, sharp or perfectly in tune.

So, taken into account must be the most basic question: what can our narrator reveal to the reader? In other words, is he/she omnipotent, part of the tale, an inanimate object, God, first person wise with hindsight?

As the novel or short story, or even screenplay, develops, are the right things being revealed about the tale? Whether it is a mystery or romance, there is timing about plot revelations that will either make your story work or fail. This is often found in the voice.

You might be asking: Well, what a bout narrative non-fiction versus biography/memoir versus fiction? Well, that will be more up to the agent and publisher than you, I fear. So, let's stick to who is telling our tale and how!

Keep going. Don't stop now. It's just something to think about...

Hopes & Dreams Part II

Here is part 2!

We are presently in post-production and a trailer will be released at the beginning of March 2011.

Thanks for all the great contributions, the time and equipment. It was so worth it - despite fog, rain and finally sun!

H&D Project - Part 2

Hopes & Dreams Part I

Here's part 1 of an article I wrote for Kings River Life. I regularly contribute to this regional magazine...

Part I