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!