I'm giving some thought about the voice I want for my new WIP. In the past I've not made a choice as such, but have left it to whatever develops as I write - with mixed results. This time I'd like to make more of a conscious decision about the voice I want, and I was wondering how other writers approach the subject and eventually settle on the voice for their WIP.

I think this is a very interesting question. I do consciously look for a voice for each book, and I try out different ones until I hit the right note. A first line is usually enough to give the voice.

It depends on what kind of feel or atmosphere I want the book to have. So for the one I've just given to my agent, I knew I wanted a sense of fading in and out of reality, a diffuse kind of quality like winter mist, so I played with broken words and missing letters for one voice. The other voice had to be a thirteen year old girl, so I aimed for that, but tried to make it as strong and vivid as possible within the confines of her age.

I think mine's the product of a mixture of character and period - though I'm sure there's an underlying Me-ness about all the voices, IYSWIM, which is fine.

To catch period I soak in writing of that period (I avoid historical fiction set then) and then close my eyes and jump. For TMOL I used to read a few sentences of the Peninsular war memoirs before starting to write my own Peninsular War memoirist... but you'd never mistake it for the genuine article for more than a sentence or two. I wouldn't want you to. It's all about atmosphere and verisimilitude.

I'm very dependent on the differentness of the voices for keeping the reader anchored in parallel narrative novels, but the WIP is less mediated - with adjustments for period (it's only between-the-Wars) it's probably the closest I've come yet to writing a novel in my "natural" voice.

Choosing and developing voices is my fave part of writing. I love inhabiting those different spaces.

The nearest me-voice is when I'm writing from my series fiction character's POV.

I usually decide in advance what voices I'm going to use and work hard on them before I crack on with the first draft, soI talk to myself in their voice. I write little pieces in their voice, particularly exchanges of conversation.

I also (and I know Emma actively avoids this) read books with similar voices.

HB x

Choosing and developing voices is my fave part of writing.
As I said, I’ve not done this consciously before, but now that I am I’m finding it quite exciting too. It feels like choosing a character all of its own.

One thing I’m wondering is: If, within a story there are different voices for narrating the stories or subplots of different characters, does that mean there are different narrators? Or is the narrator one, but uses a different voice depending on whose sub-story is being narrated - in the same way that we have one natural voice but use it differently when speaking to a child, or our partner, or a work colleague, or a stranger? It’s always our voice but we use appropriate language and tone of voice according to who we’re speaking to, or in the case of a book, the character whose POV we are describing.

Sorry if that sounds like gobbledegook, I’m still trying to get my head around it!

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Oops, the first sentence was supposed to be in a quote box!

I think it depends Manusha.

Some writers' voice comes through very clearly, whatever the POV. Some writers are able to inhabit many different voices. I don't think one is better than the other, providing its done well and with thoughtfulness.
HB x

If, within a story there are different voices for narrating the stories or subplots of different characters, does that mean there are different narrators? Or is the narrator one, but uses a different voice depending on whose sub-story is being narrated - in the same way that we have one natural voice but use it differently when speaking to a child, or our partner, or a work colleague, or a stranger?

If you have one, overall narrator (either a character, or an external narrator who isn't a character in the novel), their narrative may take on the colour of the PoV character of the moment, to a lesser or greater degree - vocabulary, syntax, grammar, whatever. The closer-in the psychic distance, the more strong that colour will be, and the more our sense of that narrator's voice will fade away, as the character's voice takes over. That's what Free Indirect style is.

If some says "my novel has different narrators" then I'd assume there was more than one of those overall narrators. And I'd probably assume that at least some were character-narrators, since otherwise why would you bother?

But even if your narrator is a character, they can let another character's voice colour their narration:

It seemed absurd to me, on the face of it, that my little grandson Jacky could possibly harbour a desire for anything as trivial - not to say objectionable - as an inflatable Father Christmas. But Jacky was adamant, as I could see from the mulish set of his button nose. He would have a Blowed Up Santa if he had to save up all the monies he had in his picky bang, all the days till Christmaseve. And in the face of such determination, how could I refuse him his heart's desire? I got out my wallet.

Thank you Leila, Helen and Emma, that's very helpful. And thanks for the example, Emma, it's really sweet! It takes me a while to really get something but I think I'm getting there at last.