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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38660
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/38660
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

A character has a "voice" if, when you read about a page worth of that character's dialogue (without any attributions) you could identify the character correctly.

Not EVERY character needs a voice; in particular the above test suggests, if they don't even HAVE a page of dialogue in the book, they don't need a particular voice.

One of my warriors has a propensity for describing things, including emotions or pretty things, in militaristic terms. If his mind is changed by an argument, he wouldn't say "I agree", he says "I surrender" to the argument.

Another character was raised in a "traditional" part of the world, and speaks a little archaically; if you see an explanation including the word "thus," where you would normally use "So," this is the only character that does that.

You can use emotions, too. A character may grow angry speaking on certain topics, even though the conversation is benign.

Some characters are deeper thinkers, and use longer compound sentences. Some speak very simply. I personally don't stray into either accents or fancy words, but a scientist is likely to think with more complexity than a janitor. The scientist may speak longer sentences with qualifiers; the janitor can speak in shorter sentences.

A character might have a tendency to interrupt themselves, or repeat themselves, or their mind keeps running after they say something, and they say "And another thing" or "you know what else" every once in awhile.

You do not have to get heavy handed with this; their "quirk" doesn't have to be present in every sentence they utter. That gets grating.

Ultimately, if you are doing your job of imagining your characters and their personality, their dialogue will be a function of that. Where they were raised, their "class" or economic circumstances, the slang used there, how much cursing was going on, the things that entertain them, what they do for a living, who they interact with frequently (family, friends, coworkers) and what THEY do. That is how we learn to speak, it is where we learn our metaphors (is it a touchdown or a home run or a slam dunk?) and it is difficult to shake without an effort.

It also doesn't have to be a repetitive 'catch phrase' or repeated use of a special word. A character can have a propensity for "comparison". Nothing is 'sweet', it's 'sweet as clover honey.' It's not difficult, its 'hard as threading a needle with your eyes closed.'

Or a character might get lost in what they are saying, differently each time, but occasionally lose track of what they were saying and trail off, or start over. Or not realize it until whomever they are talking to points it out.

Giving main characters a voice helps the reader keep them separate, and (along with conflict) this helps sustains the illusion that their longer conversations are not all just the author talking to themselves.

Original score: 10