Here’s a lazy Sunday question for long time and recent readers: how important is it to you to be able to have a sense of the writer’s voice and personality when you read an essay, a blog post or a newsletter? Does that voice need to be distinct from other writers? Is it something that makes you chose one writer over another?
Mark, I’ve been thinking about your little question all morning here in the PNW. And then I ran across a comment in the “Story Club” substack that seemed so pertinent: “I’m reminded of your piece in TNYer on Grace Paley, “The Saint of Seeing.” In particular, this passage:
“The prime quality of literary prose . . . the thing it does better than any other form . . . is voice. A great writer mimicking, on the page, the dynamic energy of human thought is about as close as we can get to modelling pure empathy . . .Mere straightforward representation is not her game. In fact, she seems to say, the world has no need to be represented . . . What it needs is to be loved better.”
I read a great deal of non fiction, and in whatever I'm reading I love to get a feel for the writer's voice and personality. If a person is telling their story - and people's own stories of their direct life experience are what I most like to read - then their voice is absolutely crucial. I'll very happily read a memoir by someone I have nothing in common with and with a story that I have no interest in IF the voice of the writer resonates with me.
It's like choosing friends. One's friends tend to be a diverse bunch of peeps, don't they? I have some I have plenty in common with, and some I have nothing in common with at all. But I enjoy the company of all of them - I love them for their personality, and the way we settle into a relationship with each other. And it's the same with the writers I choose.
I think ideas are the reasons people read your piece, but your voice is the reason people *keep* reading your work.
People like to learn, and will pick up dense books to try and understand a new subject, but will just as quickly put it down if it's too dense or dry. The voice and personality do two things: 1) It makes the point of view clear from the beginning of the piece and makes your work recognizable, and 2) The right tone to the right audience will make them feel like a part of a conversation.
No way about it: Once you put pen to paper, e.g., post on this site or anywhere else, we hear your voice. But, oh, you knew this was coming: Voice can and should vary depending on the effect you want. I will be teaching this in the Write it! How to get started that is part of my newsletter. Also, Mark, watch your email for one from me maybe later this week. My email so I don't lost in the shuffle is mltabor@me.com
You are one of my big recommendations: Love what you're doing. xo Mary
For what it's worth, almost every agent and editor I've heard answer the question about, "What do you look for in a submission?" state that voice is one of the most important things. So from a getting-published perspective, voice is very important.
I personally believe it's important, too. Storytelling needs to be engaging, and a strong voice helps with that. It's like personality and charisma on the page. The stronger your personality, the more likely people will sit up and listen.
There are millions of people writing out there, and as someone who reads a lot of work that doesn’t have a voice (research papers), voice is so important for compelling work.
Good question, Mark - it made me immediately think of William Blake - he has an unmistakeable use of language, a highly individual mythopoeic universe, a quirky sense of spelling and punctuation, a unique visual style (the illustrations are key parts of his 'voice') ... and he claimed that he was just the secretary and that the authors of his works were 'in eternity' - so whose voice are we really seeking here? To what extent does translucency or opacity of style matter? How can we tell?
It's important for folks like yourself who have a distinct online presence. I'm thinking of the few that I do follow in substack, IG and other places. I follow them because I like their "voice", not just their thoughts.
Mark, I’ve been thinking about your little question all morning here in the PNW. And then I ran across a comment in the “Story Club” substack that seemed so pertinent: “I’m reminded of your piece in TNYer on Grace Paley, “The Saint of Seeing.” In particular, this passage:
“The prime quality of literary prose . . . the thing it does better than any other form . . . is voice. A great writer mimicking, on the page, the dynamic energy of human thought is about as close as we can get to modelling pure empathy . . .Mere straightforward representation is not her game. In fact, she seems to say, the world has no need to be represented . . . What it needs is to be loved better.”
Ooooh, what a great question!
I read a great deal of non fiction, and in whatever I'm reading I love to get a feel for the writer's voice and personality. If a person is telling their story - and people's own stories of their direct life experience are what I most like to read - then their voice is absolutely crucial. I'll very happily read a memoir by someone I have nothing in common with and with a story that I have no interest in IF the voice of the writer resonates with me.
It's like choosing friends. One's friends tend to be a diverse bunch of peeps, don't they? I have some I have plenty in common with, and some I have nothing in common with at all. But I enjoy the company of all of them - I love them for their personality, and the way we settle into a relationship with each other. And it's the same with the writers I choose.
I think ideas are the reasons people read your piece, but your voice is the reason people *keep* reading your work.
People like to learn, and will pick up dense books to try and understand a new subject, but will just as quickly put it down if it's too dense or dry. The voice and personality do two things: 1) It makes the point of view clear from the beginning of the piece and makes your work recognizable, and 2) The right tone to the right audience will make them feel like a part of a conversation.
No way about it: Once you put pen to paper, e.g., post on this site or anywhere else, we hear your voice. But, oh, you knew this was coming: Voice can and should vary depending on the effect you want. I will be teaching this in the Write it! How to get started that is part of my newsletter. Also, Mark, watch your email for one from me maybe later this week. My email so I don't lost in the shuffle is mltabor@me.com
You are one of my big recommendations: Love what you're doing. xo Mary
For what it's worth, almost every agent and editor I've heard answer the question about, "What do you look for in a submission?" state that voice is one of the most important things. So from a getting-published perspective, voice is very important.
I personally believe it's important, too. Storytelling needs to be engaging, and a strong voice helps with that. It's like personality and charisma on the page. The stronger your personality, the more likely people will sit up and listen.
Great topic!
~Graham
There are millions of people writing out there, and as someone who reads a lot of work that doesn’t have a voice (research papers), voice is so important for compelling work.
Funny, my first thought was: how can we avoid hearing it? Indeed, isn’t that all there is?
Good question, Mark - it made me immediately think of William Blake - he has an unmistakeable use of language, a highly individual mythopoeic universe, a quirky sense of spelling and punctuation, a unique visual style (the illustrations are key parts of his 'voice') ... and he claimed that he was just the secretary and that the authors of his works were 'in eternity' - so whose voice are we really seeking here? To what extent does translucency or opacity of style matter? How can we tell?
It's important for folks like yourself who have a distinct online presence. I'm thinking of the few that I do follow in substack, IG and other places. I follow them because I like their "voice", not just their thoughts.