Finding one's voice (Laurie Faria Stolarz)

The topic this month is “finding one’s voice.” The writing community talks a lot about voice. The way in which a person speaks (or formulates their thoughts), the vocabulary they use, and how what they want comes through in what they choose to say or not say, and the way they think…

Editors will say they’re looking for characters “with a strong voice.” They’ll say the reader should be able to pick characters apart based solely on their voices. “We want voices in which the characters’ personalities come through," they'll tell us.

 

No doubt, a strong voice is so important. But, I think there’s something even more important than a voice’s strength. 

 

Several years ago, when I was going through a particularly difficult time, I wrote a book about a woman in captivity (and the period of time after she got back home, when she was trying to acclimate back to her life as this new version of herself). The character's situation was a metaphor for my own period of difficulty. My drafting of that book was a form of self-help in a lot of ways. By writing, I was able to choose my words very carefully, conveying the sense of loss and despair I felt. The character didn’t always think or say the smartest, or the funniest, or the bestest of things. What she said and thought was often very unpopular. But it was also one-hundred-percent genuine, which made the character feel relatable and "real."

 

A witty character with clever word-play and vocabulary is wonderful – but a character who says or thinks something truly raw, honest, and genuinely authentic is even better, in my opinion.

As we talk about “voice,” I also think about my mom who is losing hers, with progressive aphasia. She once had such a vibrant voice, as a strong character with so much to say. Now, that voice is slowly and steadily being taken away, along with her personality.

Is voice important? Yes, but it’s so much more than the words we choose and why we choose them. It’s our means to provide meaning, to be heard, to process information, and to resonate with others. And, when we don't have those things, the work - the message - isn't nearly as meaningful.