Unlock the Secret to a Captivating Writer’s Voice That Readers Can’t Ignore

I hear this a lot in conversations with writers, but mostly with managers, agents, and producers. They’re looking for writers who cover a lot of territory in terms of their traits and skills, but one of the most important is that they have a unique, identifiable voice.

Question: What the hell is a writer’s voice?

Well, wouldn’t you know it, there’s actually a Wikipedia page on the subject. Here is the content of that page in its entirety:

The writer’s voice is the individual writing style of an author, a combination of idiotypical usage of syntax, diction, punctuation, character development, dialogue, etc., within a given body of text (or across several works). Voice can be thought of in terms of the uniqueness of a vocal voice machine. As a trumpet has a different voice than a tuba or a violin has a different voice than a cello, so the words of one author have a different sound than the words of another. One author may have a voice that is light and fast paced while another may have a dark voice.

In creative writing, students are often encouraged to experiment with different literary styles and techniques in order to help them better develop their “voice”. This aspect varies with the individual author, but having this asset is considered positive and beneficial to both the writer and his or her audience.

Guess what? I can live with this.

• Your voice reflects your “individual writing style.” And that includes syntax, diction, punctuation, dialogue… but I would say most critically character development. I mean consider the characters of Quentin Tarantino:

Compared to Wes Anderson:

To Shane Black:

Those characters reflect writing choices. Genre, concept, tone, atmosphere… and all of that contributes and shapes a writer’s voice.

• I like the metaphor of a writer’s voice typified as the difference between…