Writing lesson - Voice

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Voice is the destinct style how a writer tells a story (or relays nonfiction). If you were to give 100 people a quick synopsis of a story and had them write it as if it were their own you would probably get a wide range of voices. A piece without voice will sound clinical: 'The ballon was red. The child let go of the ballon. It did not float straight up but twisted and turned in the wind.' You would not want to read much of this writer because voice is what makes it a part of the writer and makes it interesting. Here is an example of a rewrite in my voice: 'Like a dancer in a red dress the ballon performs on the rising wind. Below the dancer's sole audiance member, a young girl, watches with her hand outstretched and a single tear on her cheek.' The best way to understand voice is to think of your favorite writers. If you were to read a random page of one of their books you probably can guess who wrote it. Stephen King sounds like Stephen King. Voice is an aspect of all art; writing, movies, music. Movies from the same director are recognizable. Songs from the same band are simular. An extreem example of someone puting their voice on a song is Jimi Hendrix's cover of "The Star Spangled Banner." When you hear it you know what song it is but also only he can make it sound that way. Google's writing advisor explained voice perfectly: voice is what Simon on American Idol is demanding when he says make a song your own. Make the story your own by putting a part of you into it via voice.