Posted on June 21, 2009 - by MG
Starting something new (part 2): the voice
For those of you who are also writers, here’s another of my very occasional posts about writing.
(If I weren’t so lazy about editing videos you’d be having an author visit update about me trip to Scotland, complete with a video of my publicist Alex and I sampling awesome tearooms and sweetie shops. This will happen soon!)
I’m definitely pushing things to the limit at the moment. Writing Joshua 4, editing Joshua 3 and planning a Brand New Thing is not ideal. There are moments when my head can deal with everything. Then it goes and explodes a bit with all the competing stuff.
Kudos to all those writers who write faster than me and work on several projects at a time. For me, write-one-edit-one is the limit of my efficiency.
The plot for the New Thing is almost there. I’m happy now that finally it’s strong enough to start. A conversation with my wicked stepfather-in-law, a composer with a degree in history, the other day elicited a most useful piece of information.
Three ideas clicked into place and bingo, I finally knew the YEAR in which the New Thing is set. Yep, it’s historical. Bit of a departure for me, I know. But writers only develop if they keep challenging themselves.
The next thing to develop is the ‘voice’. Who is telling the story and why?
Normally this wouldn’t be such an issue for me. Except that I would quite like a rest from a very intensive first person narrative, like that of ‘The Joshua Files’. And ideally I’d like a break from writing as a teenage boy. But who could be the narrator of a boy’s story if not him or another boy? His mother? In children’s fiction, no way! His girlfriend? What if he doesn’t have one? His best friend? In the period in which this is set, that would be a boy. So no. His sister? Hmmmm..maybe. The omniscient third person? Risky, tricky to avoid the modern bias on historical events/attitudes.
At this stage I like to experiment. You’ve nothing to lose from trying a few openings, from a few points of view, first person, third person. One usually leaps out as the right one for the story.
Another day or two of work and I might have this cracked. Problem is, I can’t take a day from writing Joshua 4. I’m on a massive roll and it’s occupying SO much story-brain.
How long does it take everyone else to find ‘the voice’ for a particular project?
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Website of MG Harris, author of the children's book series "The Joshua Files".Author event information, resources for schools or libraries...
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June 22, 2009
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Took me 10 months to get the opening chapters, with viewpoint, voice and style right.
And I’m still there another 3 months on (having done nothing - oops). I think I need an intervention.
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June 23, 2009
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Ooh, so exciting to hear it’s progressed to that stage! (Clearly you are doing write-one-edit-one-think-up-new-one: impressive! I’m sticking with drink-one-eat-one-write-one-sentence at the minute. I refer to tea and sandwiches of course.)
I think I get 80% of the voice sorted in the first few weeks of writing 1st person (albeit after masses of false starts), because my focus is much more on voice than on story - but sometimes that final 20% is what really makes the whole thing work, and that comes in the edit. I’m putting together the opening few thousand of Possible New Book right now, and getting the voice right is what’s going to make it work. No pressure then…
Then again, I’m doing exactly the same thing as you with a side project: have played with some 1st person, now some 3rd person intimate, which already feels like a better fit for the story. I’m so out of practice though!
Being on a massive story-roll sounds great. Go Joshua4!
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June 23, 2009
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Rich - an intervention, or else may I suggest that your heart isn’t in it? Maybe it’s time to play with something new…something that gets you going? The work re other thing not wasted, it’s always good to have some projects in the lab to resurrect later When The Time Is Right.
Susie, ooh goody, I look forward to hearing about Possible New Book! And the side project too…
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June 23, 2009
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A fascinating post Maria - I’m finding these writing ones of yours particularly interesting. This is one I can really relate to - it took me several aborted starts to finally fing the voice of the MC in my new WIP but once that fell into place then I was away!
I’m looking forward to seeing what this new idea of yours develops into!!
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June 24, 2009
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I’d reason that the plot is a functional device, designed to set up dynamism, predominantly points of emotional revelations. But the reader is fed the emotions through any given pov. (Re-reading Ali Smith’s ‘The Accidental’ in which the same story is recounted by five separate povs, ergo five different emotional experiences.)
If we’re teetering on the precipice of the plot vs character debate, I’d agree with Bob McKee, that the two are inextricably linked. One informs, the other delivers. That said, I think a great voice with little plot to draw from would likely be more successful that a great plot experienced through a weak pov.
Great question MG. My answer is: Voice comes first, and then voice and plot are perfectly married in second pass. Picking a pov should be a technical decision, because each pov has its own strengths and weaknesses. You want character depth, you’re in first; you want free reign plotting suspense, then maybe third omniscient. And then tense! So what do you want? Where do you fancy exploring next? :o)
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June 25, 2009
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Exciting to know that you’re working on a new project.
As an author in training I’m sure I can’t give you advice. But what I did with the novel I’m writing at the moment is write journals from two of the main characters POV. I couldn’t decide which character’s POV to write the novel from. As it turned out I needed both character’s POV to make the story work. Writing their journals for them really helped me get to know them & their voices.
Kat