VOICE = STYLE or TONE Name _________________________ The longer you stay a writer, the more voices you find

in your own voice and the more voices you find in the world. Allan Gurganus Each work of fiction has its own distinctive voice and the challenge for the writer at times a challenge that evokes intense anxiety is to discover and to refine the voice that is unique to that work. Joyce Carol Oates I write by ear, hearing the words as I write them. A draft is an exercise in word music. It is the music of language that draws the writer to the writing desk; it is the music of language that attracts and holds the reader; it is the music of language that provides emphasis and clarity; it is the music of language that makes the writer and the reader HEAR the printed word. Voice is the magical heard quality in writing. Voice allows the readers eyes to move over silent print and hear the writer speaking. We all recognize the voice of each member of our family. We recognize the voices of our friends, and we know that voice isnt just the sound of the voice, it is the way each person says things. Voices reflect the way people see the world, how they think, how they feel. Lack of voice = no individual human being behind the page. The page could have been written by anyone. No voice = no flow, no magic, no emotional connection encouraging the reader to feel as well as think.
You use and know many voices. There are voices used in playing and voices used in the library, voices used with friends and voices used to win permission from a parent or grandmother, voices used to reprimand a pet or to call a pet with enthusiasm. These voices will arise from our pages as well as from our mouths. In addition, we are the product of our racial and ethnic heritage, so we have ethnic voices. We are the product of speaking habits from our region of the world and we have speech habits, (e.g.-pahk the cah in Hahvahd yahd). Our voice is influenced by the sea of language around us. We hear language from radio and TV, from work and school, from email, from fliers, brochures, newspapers magazines, and books. How do we learn to write with voice?
(Based on work by Nancy Dean and Georgia Heard)

I read everything that I write aloud. First the paragraph. Then, the page, I want to hear my voice reading it, and I need it to sound natural.

Isabel Allende

VOICE = STYLE or TONE Name____________________________________ Elements of Voice Diction Detail Figurative language Imagery Syntax A. Diction is the choice of words. It is the foundation of voice. Words are the basic tools of writers. Just as a painter uses color or light and a musician uses sounds and rhythm, a writer uses words. In order to write well, you have to use the perfect word. A character doesnt just look for something; she rummages. If you cant find the perfect word ask someone for a better word, look up the word in a thesaurus. When you are choosing between two perfect words, use what you know about alliteration, consonance and assonance to choose one that means what you want and sounds best in the sentence. Beware, some words are especially overused and tired. These words have lost their freshness and impact. Try to avoid them. They create no clear picture in the readers mind. AVOID: good, nice, pretty, beautiful, fine,
bad, thing, really, very, terrible, wonderful, great, a lot. Diction Practice:
Example: A redheaded woman was there with Trout. Kate could see her looking through the cabin, emptying drawers, and taking things off of the shelves of cabinets.

Compare to: A redheaded woman was there with Trout. Kate could see her rummaging through the cabin, dumping drawers and knocking things from the shelves of cabinets. Holes by Sachar
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B. Detail is the facts, observations, and incidents. Writing is flat and boring without detail. Details create a clear mental picture for the reader. Details also help to focus the readers attention on important ideas. For example, if you take a trip to the beach and wanted to describe what you saw there, you cant describe everything. That would be boring. Instead, you have to

decide on your focus. Your focus also includes the attitude you want to convey. Maybe your attitude is that the beach is a place of peace and relaxation, or maybe you want to express your discomfort with the heat, sand, crowds, and sunburn. You decide. Then select the details that support, develop and enliven your focus and attitude. C. Figurative language is the use of words in an unusual way to reveal new meaning and make the reader think. Metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperboles are figurative language. Figurative language is vivid and strong; it lets us say much more in fewer words. Avoid overused clichs. For example: pretty as a picture, quiet as a mouse, I was so hungry I could eat a horse. Be original and creative. D. Imagery is the use of words to capture a sensory experience, what you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. Imagery brings life to what you write and makes it seem real. You may have learned imagery as snapshot or show dont tell. Effective imagery is built on effective diction and detail. E. Syntax includes sentence structure, word order, and punctuation. Syntax helps writers create voice. Be sure to vary sentence structure and play with word order. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Voice examples:

He had been prepared to lie, to bluster, to remain sullely unresponsive; but, reassured by the good-humored intelligence of the Controllers face, he decided to tell the truth, straightforwardly. from Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
At the mall, Jamal and I walk from store to store, checking out caps, but only find ones with sports teams or cities on them. Thats so unoriginal. So we end up at the pet shop, which is our favorite place anyway. Okay, Im going to tell you something that only Jamal knows. I love the smellyou know, that dog-biscuit-and-hamster-shavings smell? And I love the noise aquariums humming, birds chirping, pups yapping and barking, rattling their cages. - from Alex Sanchez If you Kiss a Boy

No sooner had the reverberation of my blows sunk into silence, then I was

answered by a voice from within the tomb! by a cry, at first muffled and broken, like the sobbing of a child, and then quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman a howl! a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph, such as might have arisen only out of hell, conjointly from the throats of the damned in their agony and of the demons that exult in the damnation. - Edgar Allen Poe, The Black Cat

WASHINGTON JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT

You have plenty of captivating photos and brochures from your trip to Washington. Now its time to capture the events in words. For the next week you will be creating a final copy of the journal entries you wrote for the Washington trip. Use the hand written entries as a brainstorming starting point. Use the voice lessons we learn in class to liven up the journal and make it unique. You will add one additional journal entry, a reflection on your trip as a whole. Requirements Your journal must have: A cover Four, one page typed journal entries from the trip, minimum Some academic information included in the daily mix Voice: diction, detail, figurative language, imagery, syntax Careful editing A one page closing reflection journal entry. This entry will sum up what you learned, include your feelings about the trip, bring closure to the journal. Any extra sketches or pictures are optional You will also turn in at least two rough drafts showing attention to revision and creating voice.

Remember: The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. - Mark Twain