A lot of writers get comments about a lack of voice and they don't know what it means. Voice is hard to define. A lot of editors and agents will tell you that they know it when they read it. Hm. Not a lot of help there, is it? Voice is, in my opinion, best described as personality. It's the author's (and therefore also the main character(s)) distinct and unique attitude in how they say things. It's that "thing" -- that vibe, that feel, that tone -- that says, "This book was written by XYZ author."

Have you ever had that experience? Heard a passage of a book read aloud and known -- absolutely known -- who wrote it? That's Voice.

No two authors are going to approach something the same way. They're not going to focus on the same details, pick the same words, have the same life experiences that they draw on for imagery or associations.

So here's a simple Voice exercise. Take a look at the rather blah and boring sentence below...

Tom annoyed Mary.

Now give it your own personal touch. Rewrite it any way you want so that your Voice shines through that sentence to give Mary some zip, some personality, some unique vibe that only YOU as the author can bring.

Tips: Think about things that annoy you, that set your back teeth or feel like nails down a chalkboard. What just sets you off like nobody's business? That's the situation. That's Mary's reaction to Tom and the situation. Use that as a guide to recreate your sentence.

Example: Tom let loose another donkey heehaw of a laugh and Mary barely resisted the urge to stab him in the face with her dessert fork.

Feel free to list as many as you can come up with.

Extra Credit: Reverse the sentence. Tom is now annoyed by Mary. See how your voice (and word choices and examples) changes as you switch perspectives to a *male* being annoyed by a *female*.

JT