Wednesday, December 3, 2008

THE PROTAGONIST'S VOICE

For the last month, I've been writing the first draft of my work-in-progress. And finally, yesterday I found my character's voice.

Major breakthrough!

Voice is a hard thing to pin down - in some ways it simply means an author's unique way of expressing herself. But it also means the character's way of expressing himself. Since I write historical fiction, my character's voice must also match the time and place in which he lived.

And of course, a youth of the 1940's (and a religious one at that) might not have appeal to today's kids who live in an edgy world.

So I've been wondering how I was going to meet the challenge of creating a credible character. This week I figured it out. I finally realized how I can tell this story in a way that is true to my character while still holding appeal for contemporary young adults.

At least I think I have. In some ways this isn't so much about sentence structure, idioms or personality as it is, presentation.

I've discovered a format that will allow for the 1940's voice to feel relevant. Yay! After a month of trudging through the dark, writing the story just became so much clearer and way more fun!

4 comments:

  1. Wow! That is fabulous! And I know that struggle you've been facing...that's my issue as well. Keeping a historical voice authentic but relevant to a modern audience.

    I can't wait to read it!

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  2. Ghost Girl - I hope the voice is working out for you!

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  3. Yah! I can't wait to read this voice. ;-)

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  4. love your blogs, joyce. I can't wait to read this and hear his voice. Pictures of places make me curious too. you've been busy blogging this week! (catching up, right?) Carol

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