Finding Their Voices

So a thread on a discussion over at the English Companion Ning got me thinking that I still didn't have any idea what I think 'voice' should mean as it refers to writing. This is another one of those terms that everyone seems to define somewhat differently. I've never really bothered with it.

I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but I think that's because my students struggle with making their writing comprehensible AT ALL. And I really do believe that voice is something that's developed simply through practice more so than by following example - in fact, I would argue that following examples is a way to HINDER voice. But at the same time, it makes me squirm to say that I don't try to explain it to my students because (1) I don't think I can do a good job of explaining it and (2) they aren't ready to tackle something so nebulous if they haven't mastered fairly straightforward ideas like, oh, I dunno, CAPITALIZATION AND END PUNCTUATION.

I just want to hide now. But instead, I'm going to open myself up to potential ridicule by attempting to explain something I don't fully understand.

I'm going to try to define by metaphor. Sort of. (At least this is online, so if you laugh at me, I'll never know.) So here we go:

Voice - mannerisms, habits, expressions that typify your writing, just as there is a certain accent and timbre that defines your physical voice.

Point of view - perspective; who's speaking; role? As a teacher, I tend to phrase things a certain way, whether I'm talking to students, co-workers, or parents. Certain topics get beaten like a dead horse (sometimes in Real Life you'll have to do things you don't want to do; consider this good practice) and others (sex/drugs/religion/politics) get sidestepped (beyond "make good choices!").

Format - informal (intimate) vs. formal (distant); situational. Saying 'yes, sir' to the principal and 'yeah, sure' to the students. (This idea probably has another term that goes with it, maybe? but I'm not sure what it is or how else to express it.)

Tone - 'attitude' conveyed, in the sense of 'don't you TAKE that kind of attitude with me, young man!' as one example. When my students make glaring grammatical errors as they speak I will interrupt them and feign surprised confusion until they rephrase correctly. My principal? Not so much.

Style - choosing to use writing techniques to achieve a particular desired effect; like choosing your clothes. As a teacher, this means phrases that can't be warped, like "no airborne objects" and nice catch-alls like "appropriate behavior at ALL TIMES, please." I would wear jeans every day if I could, because I think they say "Plan to work really stinking hard and be ready for anything!"

When we first get up in the morning, our voice sounds unfamiliar and awkward, because it hasn't been used in awhile. The more we hear someone talk, the easier it is to recognize that person's voice. I can't tell you how I know whose voice it is, though. I just... I know! (You know? *g*)

It's the same in writing. The more you read from an author who has developed his or her voice, the easier it is to recognize it. And the more you write to say what you need to, in whatever situation you find yourself, the more you'll develop your own voice.

Image thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/jciv/