Character Speech
I was writing yesterday and kept an eye on my wording. I'm in Calli's POV so she needs to think a certain way. The sentence "I'm sure Marian and...Jaquar are waiting for us..." came flowing out of my fingers. I immediately went back to change "waiting for" to "awaiting." It's more concise. But Calli wouldn't speak that way.
I was thinking like Marian from Sorceress of Faith. Marian is an academic. If there was a simple way or a more "erudite" way to say something, she'd go with the erudite, wouldn't even think about it.
Now, Alexa, in Guardian of Honor, might have said either, and depending upon the particular tone of her POV (casual vs. professional), I'd have used either.
So know your characters. Distinguish their speech, particularly your hero and heroines. I've let some US "colloquialisms" creep in Lladranan POVs that I also keep an eye on. I may cut them all out.
May all your characters distinguish themselves (in every sense of the word) today.
Robin
posted by FantasyAuthor RobinDOwens | 7:38 AM
2 Comments:
I can actually say that this is one area of writing that I am very strong in. I am an auditory writer-- I "hear" my characters quite plainly. I may drop the ball on the narrative, but the rhythms and word choice of my characters are pretty distinct.
In fact, the major problem with my villan was that I couldn't "hear" him (so of COURSE he wasn't telling me anything!) Once I zoned in on his voice, he started yammering my ear off. It's an amazing thing, my villan sounds exactly like Craig Parker as Haldir in LOTR. Go figure!
;)
terri
Go, Terri! I am that standard sort of writer who sometimes sees "movies" in the mind and describes...if I "hear" it's probably more of a tinny sound. Glad you found your villain's voice!
Robin
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