Internal and External voice
How can we distinguish different character voices, not only in dialogue, but also when we have different points of view?
For external voice, or dialogue, we can use accents, of course, or favored expressions. More subtly, one character might speak in shorter or longer sentences, some might wax poetic and others speak simply and more straightforward. Some characters may be laconic, others witty and sarcastic in their introspection.
When we use multiple points of view we can expand on this and dive into the internal voice of a character as well. Say Character A is an artist, they may focus on the colors and architecture of a scene. Say Character B hates loud noises, so they notice the roar of the crowd and the music pouring out of an open inn door. Say Character A spent their early life looking out for danger in the slums, while Character B grew up safe, therefore isn’t as prone to assume the worst in the mundane. To character A, someone walking alone on the street may be seen as a threat, and to Character B, the situation could be neutral or completely innocent.
The point is: all of our experiences shape the way we perceive the world. This is true for our characters as well.
Giving them an element
Another tactic I find myself using is to attribute each character to an element. I use this attribute to influence the kind of metaphors I’ll use when I'm describing them or when I’m in their POV. Character A may be like the earth–steady, grounded, not prone to emotional extremes. Character B might have more water or ocean metaphors or description. “He was a dam against the emotion that surged as… ect.”
Other factors that influence character voice:
Education level (vocabulary and world knowledge)
Culture and Origin (values, accents)
Quirks
Religion (curses and phrases)
Ways to edit for character voice.
First, understand how you want them to sound. Sometimes we settle into a character as the story progresses. Often our characters change as they grow and so does their perception of the world. Consider reading your manuscript from end to end, just one POV at a time, to check for consistency.
Physical distinctions can help. Perhaps while drafting use a different font for each character, or listen to a specific song to get in the right headspace. If your main concern is the dialogue itself, perhaps assign a color to each character and highlight when they speak so that you can see who gets the most page time in a scene, and where any inconsistencies might lie.
Differentiating characters in general.
In a way, it comes down to knowing the character as well. Are they a leader? Are they confrontational? How do they interact with others? Their parents, their friends, a town guard? How do they react in stressful situations? How do they handle kids or the infirm? Are they ambitious, obnoxious, generous, empathetic? Assign three or so descriptors and keep those in mind when trying to convey that character’s inner world and their interactions with others.
Remember there are no absolutes in writing. There are no wrong or right ways to write. In the end, the story itself is what matters most. Mossgrovewrites hopes to scrutinize traditional craft wisdom and ponder its pros and cons, alongside offering one writer’s opinions and the experiences that shaped them.
Happy writing!
Megan G. Mossgrove
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