Thursday, February 23, 2012

On the Road and Chatting About Voice

I'm over at Suzanne van Rooyen's blog today, talking about voice, how I found mine, and why it works for YA.

Here's a sneak peek:
Before I started my debut novel, I’d always written third person narrators with multiple POVs. First person was this scary perspective I knew was hard to get right, so I stayed away from it. That is, until I sat down to write THE SHIFTER.

And it came out in first person.

A huge shock, let me tell you. There was no conscious thought to do this; my protagonist, Nya, just spoke to me in that voice. It was her story, and she wanted to tell it in her words, not mine. I was smart enough to let her do it, even though trying first person was a little intimidating.

I’m so glad now that I did.
 Come over over and say hello!

4 comments:

  1. Janice, I didn't seem to have an option to comment on Suzanne's site, so I'll do it over here.

    It depends upon the story, but I still find I like third person best when I read. I think it's because I still read books like I watch movies, which means that I'm outside of the MC's head and able to see and grasp things that the MC would miss. I find it makes the world seem richer to me. With that said, if the MC has a good voice -- like in The Shifter, for example -- and the story lends itself to being told by the MC, then I can find first person enjoyable.

    As far as my own writing goes, I'm going to have to get a handle on third person before I can even think about going after first person. :)

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  2. I, personally, LOVED third person but I have a hard time writing it. My character wants to "think" too much. So, I tried first person and it's like a breath of fresh spring,it just fits my voice and the characters love it.

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  3. Nice article over there! You were braver than me, because I had to be forced into 1st person by my agent. LOL I actually LOVE it now, and have revised my WIP to be 1st person too! I enjoyed reading your thoughts about what makes a good YA voice. So true!

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  4. Ken, everyone has their own preferences and there's nothing wrong with that. If third is what you love, write third :) We all tell stories in different ways.

    Traci, that's what happened to me. It's funny how you can fall into something like that. You never know what you'll like unless you try it.

    Carol, thanks! Oh wow, what a way to find out you liked that POV. Glad it worked out for you, though :)

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