A new post on Industrial Scripts offers advice on finding and maintaining your fictional voice. “Discovering your writing voice in screenwriting is a journey that requires patience, practice, and self-reflection,” the article says. “By following these 10 steps, you’ll develop a unique voice that sets your scripts apart from the rest.”
Your writing voice is your unique tone, style, and word choices, which differs from your character’s voices. “Your writing voice sets the overall tone and mood of the script, while a character voice reflects the distinct personalities of the individuals within the story,” the article states. The best route for discovering this voice: authenticity. “Many writers mistakenly try to emulate others’ styles instead of cultivating their own unique voice,” the article states. “To avoid this, concentrate on crafting stories that resonate with your personal experiences, beliefs, and worldview.” Don’t hesitate to show vulnerability. “By embracing openness and honesty in your writing, you cultivate a more authentic author voice,” the article says. Embrace personal subjects and difficult emotions. Don’t be afraid to be ugly or unlikeable. Reveal pain.
When you write from your own authentic voice, your characters’ voices will begin to flow naturally. However, how you craft your characters’ dialogue is also important to your voice. “The way you structure their speech, the slang they use, and their specific word choices all contribute to your narrative voice,” the article notes. “This approach brings your literary voices to life and adds dynamism to your work.”
Don’t be afraid to experiment with tone, style, and genre. Write with humor or melancholy, play with sentence structure, and try different POVs. While you don’t want to copy another writer’s voice, do study them. “Focus on how they distinguish every character’s voice from the narrator’s voice and how their narrative voices are uniquely crafted,” the article says. “Analyze their sentence structures, dialogue, and their ability to weave multiple voices within a single script to understand what makes their style distinct.”
Of course, the best way to develop your voice is to write often and continue honing your craft. “The more you write, the more naturally your own personality will infuse your work,” the article states. Seek feedback and revise, revise, revise. Study what has worked for you and what hasn’t, and emphasize your strengths while working on your weaknesses.
Finally, be consistent. “Although you may explore various genres or perspectives, your unique voice should remain distinctly yours,” the article says. “Whether you’re crafting a first-person limited narrative or employing a third-person omniscient point of view, your style should be easily recognizable.”
