Have you ever read a story where one of the characters did something completely out of their usual realm of actions and it never added up in the end? At that moment you witnessed a bout of character voice inconsistency. Character voice is the way a character expresses themselves inwardly and outwardly. Such as their: actions, reactions, and their thought process.
Is author voice the same as character voice? No. Author voice focuses on the writing style of the author, such as the way a sentence is written, while considering the tone of the story. On the contrary, character voice is staying true to who the character is.
When a character’s voice is maintained, it provides an intangible projection of who the character is then bridging a gap between character and reader. Creating a connection can be an author’s greatest asset because people do not always fall in love with the stories as much as the character. For instance, if the story is in first person POV the connection between character and reader begins with the reader relating to the character’s thoughts. If the character encounter’s their crush and become very shy, a reader, who is also shy, will take interest in this to see how another shy person handles the situation. Furthermore, drawing them in to the story. And depending on the type of reaction you want your reader to experience, will determine how you tell what happens next.
Every character is presented in a distinct way throughout a story. When you create a character, the idea of who they are ––from the way they sound to the way their body move––will be specific. However, when mannerisms that are not typical for a character appear, it will feel off. So, when you are drafting your story, keep in mind that character voice consistency will help to avoid confusion. The last thing you want is feedback from your audience saying, “The story was great until…”
For instance, let’s create a character by the name of May, and they are very impulsive. So, when it comes to impulsive people, we know at least three things: they are not rational, their actions are not thought through, and they are more than likely feeling a bit of anxiety which is what causes the impulsivity. Therefore, you’d want May’s actions to match everything that was just listed. It would be out of character for May, who has an impulse control problem, to rationally think about every action they take. We can assume the reader will question why May is going about things impulsively, this is when you can slip a hint that May is impulsive tying everything together for your reader to realize that May is impulsive, and it is well within their character to make a rash decision. When those puzzle pieces are put together the story makes more sense.
It is not to say that the author should change who the character is, it is only to say that it is the author’s job to deliver this information in a way the reader can understand without directly saying it.
Lots of readers feel accomplished when they figure out a hidden trait about a character that isn’t directly said. It makes them feel more in touch with the character and that they are comprehending the story.
This may play into the show-not-tell advice where it is advised that the author does not give flat descriptions of what is occurring, instead a scene is created that would demonstrate it through the character’s voice––inward and outward expressions. Now is it wrong to tell and not show, absolutely not. Sometimes showing makes the story easier to understand rather than having to sift through a bunch of filler words, but if there is an opportunity to draw your reader in with a specific scene, while also presenting the opportunity for the author to place easter eggs, your reader will have a better reading experience, which would make the reader look forward to future novels written by you.
So, when writing for a specific character, keep in mind the details of who they are and who they are becoming, so that in the end everything connects. Of course, if you are foreshadowing for a future installments, it does not have to connect right away, but eventually there will need to be loose ends that come together.
