Find Your Writing Niche: Find Your Voice
Characters develop their own personalities and speak to authors in their own voices. Aspiring authors must listen as closely as possible to the people in their stories, but in order to sell that story, those characters must have unique voices. Authors have to read their favorite books to hear those voices, and I recommend people read the Miss Julia books to learn this skill.
Miss Julia is the creation of Ann B. Ross, who just released her 17th Miss Julia book, “Miss Julia Lays Down the Law.” The first book in the series, “Miss Julia Speaks her Mind,” was published in 1999, and Miss Julia is heard in a voice as strong as a screaming baby.
She is an elderly widow who decides to say what’s on her mind because she can’t be silent any longer. She finds her husband slumped over the steering wheel of his Lincoln, and to her surprise she learns that he is very rich and she is the beneficiary. Within months her husband’s mistress shows up at her door claiming the young boy with her is the man’s child. Miss Julia had no idea her husband was committing adultery, and the knowledge gives her strength to face any adversity in her path. She develops a “voice.”
Characteristics of a voice are explained in the blog, “Find Your Creative Muse by David Hood at https://davehood59.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/elements-of-fiction-style-and-tone.
Other article are available, but start here for the motivation to continue searching for the personalities, the voices, that are perfect for your fiction.
