Problem—In a single scene, your narrator sounds like three different people: the person you introduced on page 1 of your book, a fictional therapist, and you, the author.
Why is it a problem?
Because every single time you break voice, you yank your reader right out of your book. The spell of immersion is broken.
What is an immersive voice?
To sum it up in a single sentence, voice is your character’s unique lens through which they interpret every single event in your book.
(Psst: Need a refresher on the basics of strong scenic writing? Check out my FEELS Method for Writing Strong Scenes)
Voice, as we discovered in our previous post, is not dialogue or the book’s tone or the author’s POV. It is your character’s perspective. Period.
Sounds simple enough, but it can be tough to maintain a consistent voice throughout an entire 400-page book. Remember, it’s the consistency (or, rather, lack thereof) that can really yank a reader out of your fictional world.
Three Pillars of Voice Consistency
Pillar 1: Cognitive Patterns
This one’s all about how your character processes information. How does this person learn? How old are they? How much formal education have they had? What kind of thinker are they? How would they best learn at school? Is this person bookish? Or more hands-on? Are they slow to process information? Or do they come to conclusions quickly? Do they weigh pros and cons forever? Or do they decide and act?
This might seem a bit extraneous, but it’s actually going to show up time and time again throughout a novel. A journey is really all about decision-making. Your main character will make a ton of really important decisions: who to trust, what path to take, how to uncover the clues, etc. Understanding how they think will be essential to depicting them realistically.
Pillar 2: Emotional Filters
Hello, backstory and self-protective wound! Backstory will absolutely drive your main character’s emotional makeup. What is the lie they need to get over? How does it shape their emotional reactions? Are they trusting of others, almost to a fault? Are they suspicious? Do they assume the worst of people? Are they optimistic? Hopeful? This all comes out in internal monologue and in the ways in which they deal with people—mostly notably, the people who are closest and most important to them.
Pillar 3: Personal Vocabulary
The word-nerd in me thinks this one’s the most fun. What phrases does your main character lean on? What are the words they use to express themselves? Are they poetic? Speak in short, straightforward sentences? Here, regional -isms can creep in. As can some impact of their education. This is where a lot of their personality can shine through. Is your protagonist funny? Sarcastic? Witty? Do they have absolutely no sense of humor at all? Remember, if your protag leans toward the poetic side, these metaphors they use must be drawn from their own life experiences, not yours.
The Consistency Check
Grab your WIP. Head to any scene (this actually works best if you’re not reading chronologically…some of these points stand out better if the scene is coming to you cold, without the context of having just read the previous scene).
Ask yourself the following:
Is the voice interchangeable? Meaning, is your protag the only person in the book who would narrate this scene in this way? If any of your characters would say the same thing, you have not differentiated this voice enough in this scene.
How formal does this voice sound? And is it consistent with what you were aiming for as you first started drafting the book? For instance, you might have started this book with the aim of making the voice sound very conversational. But in this particular scene, as your character is being forced to make the most monumental decision of their life, it suddenly sounds almost…stilted. Remember, your character should sound like themselves even (and especially) when the stakes are raised.
Does their background match their voice in this scene? Would you believe the person narrating this particular scene was eight years old? (It’s so hard to keep adult wisdom out of the narration of a child character!) Or would you believe they had a law degree? Would you believe they had lived their entire life in Appalachia? It’s crucial to stay true to the background you established for your character. Yes, that character will grow. They will have a change of heart. But their voice will remain consistent until the end.
Character voice gets even tricky, though, when they open their mouth to speak. Next week? We’ll be taking a closer look at how dialogue can keep your reader immersed.