VOICE...

…no, not the spooky voice that calls my name, waking me out of a deep sleep in the middle of the night. Like any sensible girl, I ignore that voice!

Hi, I’m Shereen Vedam, author of fantasy and regency romance short stories.

I’m here to talk about voice, as in the voice of authors you love to read; their tone, humor, interjections in the narrative that makes you laugh out loud and say to friends and family, you have got to read this book.

Everyone has different reasons why they love a particular author’s voice. Recently, I discovered what about an author’s voice that makes me pick a book off the shelves.

This past week, I was reading an anthology – one that included one of my short stories (Dragon Dreams). I was curious about the other short stories the editor had picked for this anthology. Some were written by famous fantasy authors, others fresh on the fantasy scene, and some never before published.

For me, reading a book of short stories is like going grocery shopping. As I walk down the aisles in search of items I need, I check and double check my list. Occasionally, I pick up things I never planned to buy. Hmm…this looks interesting. I hesitate, then impulsively toss it into the cart, ruthlessly flattening my budget.

In this same manner, I delved into this anthology by first searching out an author I knew I would like (I have a collection of his novels – Jim C. Hines). Then, tentatively, I tried an unknown author.

Over the next few days, each morning on the bus ride to work, I read another short story and then another. One story seemed a bit odd, the next interesting. One left me completely confused by the style of prose until the end and then I thought, Oh, how cool. (Scout by Mary Turzillo)

Then I came across one that had me turning page after page, chuckling to myself. At the end of that short story, the bio said this author, over his lifetime, “collected just about every award the field has to offer.” His name was Fritz Leiber.

He was the inspiration for this blog – that indefinable voice of an author.

Voice is a very subjective experience. In this same anthology, Cat Tales edited by George H. Scithers, the stories that intrigued and entertained me would very likely be vastly different from the ones that call to you.

That said, I was still curious…what is it about an author’s voice that makes it appealing, enticing, memorable and collectible?

I took a closer look at Leiber’s voice in this short story and what about it I found so pleasurable.

1. His worldview was compatible with mine – cats and their needs are important.
2. His humor was unique – one example is the point of view of the main character, which was the cat, leading to the humans in the story being named from the cat’s point of view (Kitty-Come-Here is the wife, loved that, and Old Horsemeat is the husband - Leiber took his time explaining this title but it came eventually and was well worth waiting for).
3. His story telling ability – flawless (not by any particular grammar rules but in lack of obvious mistakes), great story arc, consistently entertaining narrative voice and a satisfying ending.
4. Appealing characters – characters that appeal to me are often realistic and flawed, but loveable, nevertheless, because they have the best of intentions.
5. Use of concrete details – this can bring a story alive so it feels as if it’s being reenacted in my own kitchen.
6. Irony and foreshadowing – I didn’t notice this until the second read, and it was priceless.
7. He understood the importance of irrelevance – the whole mystery in the story is completely irrelevant but in our lives, the things that often upset us most are usually just that, something totally irrelevant. Therefore, making what’s irrelevant relevant not only builds in humor but also generates sympathy in the reader.

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Here’s an excerpt from Kreativity For Kats by Fritz Leiber appearing in Cat Tales

There was a mystery about the spilled water. It had apparently disappeared entirely, though the day seemed hardly dry enough for total evaporation. Then she saw it standing in a puddle by the wall fully ten feet away from the bowl. She made a quick deduction and frowned a bit worriedly.

“I never realized the kitchen floor sloped that much,” she told Old Horsemeat after dinner. “Maybe some beams need to be jacked up in the basement. I’d hate to think of collapsing into it while I cooked dinner.”

“I’m sure this house finished all its settling thirty years ago,” her husband assured her hurriedly. “That slope’s always been there.”

“Well, if you say so,” Kitty-Come-Here allowed doubtfully.

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To me, voice is a combination of things. It’s how an author sees the world, finds entertaining in it and then expresses that viewpoint by the choice and order of words, phrases and expressions he or she uses.

I believe building an effective and appealing Voice requires both skill and confidence.

In essence, Voice is the story.

In preparation for this blog, I posted a question on voice on a few Amazon forums asking readers and authors what they found appealing enough about an author’s voice to make them return to that author again and again. The following were on their Christmas reading wish list:

• sharp beginnings
• action scenes
• clean prose
• rhythm and flow
• don't talk down to the reader
• interesting ever-evolving story
• no gratuitous swearing or sex
• returning (familiar) characters
• likeable characters

A good author’s voice can entice a reader to stalk them on the internet, in book stores, and at conferences and conventions. Crafting that appealing voice is a writer’s Holy Grail.

So, who are the voices on your bookshelf? What is it about an author's voice that keeps you huddled beneath the blanket on a cold wintry night, reading? Why do you put some books down half way through, but forget to get off the bus at work because you were lost in a story?

Shereen Vedam
www.shereenvedam.com