Style + Voice = Magic
An opinion on writer's voice and style21 total reviews
Comment from Jannypan (Jan)
I agree, Mystery author, with everything you wrote. You explained it well. Everyone who reads this will be able to learn & apply what you wrote. Good job. Best wishes. Jan
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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I agree, Mystery author, with everything you wrote. You explained it well. Everyone who reads this will be able to learn & apply what you wrote. Good job. Best wishes. Jan
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Thank you for your review and kind words.
Comment from sibhus
Some very interesting thoughts concerning style and voice. You have presented these thoughts quite elegantly, which add to your sense of style and give food for thought. A wonderful addition to the contest, and good luck.
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Some very interesting thoughts concerning style and voice. You have presented these thoughts quite elegantly, which add to your sense of style and give food for thought. A wonderful addition to the contest, and good luck.
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Thank you for your review and kind words.
Comment from jenintorre
I found your peice of writing extremely informative and will definately take advantage of it.
Very well written. I wish you good luck in the competition.
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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I found your peice of writing extremely informative and will definately take advantage of it.
Very well written. I wish you good luck in the competition.
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Thank you for your review and kind words.
Comment from Dawn Munro
I hesitate to comment on content, since everything I was taught about style flies in the face of this - no offense, but doesn't style depend largely on the demographic/the target audience? Personally, I strive for literary flexibility, but then, that's me - when I am writing for children, my style is vastly different than it is for adults, for example. So too, does the style I am writing have to fit the genre, to a certain extent. "Noir" is distinctly different from, say, "Spiritual".
In my mind, the ability to adapt one's 'voice' is what makes a "great writer".
However, appraising content is not how we rate here, on FanStory, and I find no fault with the technical aspects of this non-fiction piece. Well done. Good luck in the booth.
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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I hesitate to comment on content, since everything I was taught about style flies in the face of this - no offense, but doesn't style depend largely on the demographic/the target audience? Personally, I strive for literary flexibility, but then, that's me - when I am writing for children, my style is vastly different than it is for adults, for example. So too, does the style I am writing have to fit the genre, to a certain extent. "Noir" is distinctly different from, say, "Spiritual".
In my mind, the ability to adapt one's 'voice' is what makes a "great writer".
However, appraising content is not how we rate here, on FanStory, and I find no fault with the technical aspects of this non-fiction piece. Well done. Good luck in the booth.
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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I actually agree with what you are saying. Maybe I did not present my point clear enough. All the different styles one must use for the different applications is what becomes the challenge when a writer has his/her own 'voice' they like to use. That is the challenge. Let's say I am a good storyteller. Adults like the way I 'spin a yarn'. However, if I was telling a story to young children, I may need to use simpler words, shorter phrases, etc., but despite this challenge, I may indeed still be able to come across to the children as 'a good storyteller'. The challenge of applying ones 'voice' to a blog, an editorial, and so on and still maintain that special quality you have (voice), that is what I believe is the ultimate gift a good writer can accomplish. I think you and I are pretty much saying the same thing, I just came across with it differently. Thank you so much for your review and critique. I truly appreciate it.
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You're very welcome.
Comment from Thomas Bowling
This is very informative. Even the rules of punctuation are different for each writing style you mention, especially in the use of commas. I hate commas or I should say, commas hate me.
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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This is very informative. Even the rules of punctuation are different for each writing style you mention, especially in the use of commas. I hate commas or I should say, commas hate me.
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Thank you very much for your review Tom. Yes, those darn commas can be a real pain.
Comment from Dean Kuch
"I believe it is the art of blending one's voice with style that determines the quality of the writer. A writer's voice is the way they choose their words and phrases to tell their story." ~ Anonymous
Your above quote read like something straight from Good Quotes, Anonymous Author I, for one, could not agree with you more.
Our styles are influenced by a diverse array of literature, film, locale and, in some cases, upbringing and life experiences as well.
An author who is very famous today once told me: "Write what you know and dance with the girl whut brung ya to the dance in the first place." It took his comments to mean write what works best for you, regardless of what anyone else might think.
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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"I believe it is the art of blending one's voice with style that determines the quality of the writer. A writer's voice is the way they choose their words and phrases to tell their story." ~ Anonymous
Your above quote read like something straight from Good Quotes, Anonymous Author I, for one, could not agree with you more.
Our styles are influenced by a diverse array of literature, film, locale and, in some cases, upbringing and life experiences as well.
An author who is very famous today once told me: "Write what you know and dance with the girl whut brung ya to the dance in the first place." It took his comments to mean write what works best for you, regardless of what anyone else might think.
Comment Written 07-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 07-Jan-2018
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Thank you so much for your review and kind comments. I really appreciate it.
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My pleasure.
Comment from Dan Diego
Reviewed in the blind. There are some very salient points in your post. It reads like an essay. It is, of course, error-free. Finding one's voice is difficult. I constantly struggle with it. I'm glad you posted this. About the only change I could suggest (and it's trivial) is to break the first paragraph into two. First paragraph = voice. Next paragraph = style.
Good job. Thanks for posting.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Reviewed in the blind. There are some very salient points in your post. It reads like an essay. It is, of course, error-free. Finding one's voice is difficult. I constantly struggle with it. I'm glad you posted this. About the only change I could suggest (and it's trivial) is to break the first paragraph into two. First paragraph = voice. Next paragraph = style.
Good job. Thanks for posting.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Thank you so much for your review and critique. I am glad you liked it.
Comment from giraffmang
Hi there,
Many good storytellers are not good writers. And the opposite is also very true.
Sometimes folk confuse style or voice for poor grammar... it happens!
Of course there are many different styles of writing which can also vary greatly from genre to genre. Sometimes a writer's voice conflicts with the style of writing.
It's an interesting topic, and not an easy one to decipher.
when someone refers to a writer as a good storyteller, they're saying the writer has a good voice - I don't think this is necessarily true. A good storyteller has to get their story across, but if their voice is full of colloquialisms and set turns of unfamiliar phrasing, it will be unintelligible to many.
I once read a piece that was entirely second person. (You do this, you do that). It was a fantastic story but very difficult to read and odd. it was a chosen style and the writer's voice was missing as you are being told the story that you are the central character in.
In fiction for example, there are particular ways to tell particular stories. Romance from horror from action and so on.
I read a lot of biographies and the styles are vastly different within them. Some are like having a conversation, some are as garbled as having a conversation with someone suffering from dementia - style? voice? or perhaps just bad writing? lol
Nice little piece
GMG
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Hi there,
Many good storytellers are not good writers. And the opposite is also very true.
Sometimes folk confuse style or voice for poor grammar... it happens!
Of course there are many different styles of writing which can also vary greatly from genre to genre. Sometimes a writer's voice conflicts with the style of writing.
It's an interesting topic, and not an easy one to decipher.
when someone refers to a writer as a good storyteller, they're saying the writer has a good voice - I don't think this is necessarily true. A good storyteller has to get their story across, but if their voice is full of colloquialisms and set turns of unfamiliar phrasing, it will be unintelligible to many.
I once read a piece that was entirely second person. (You do this, you do that). It was a fantastic story but very difficult to read and odd. it was a chosen style and the writer's voice was missing as you are being told the story that you are the central character in.
In fiction for example, there are particular ways to tell particular stories. Romance from horror from action and so on.
I read a lot of biographies and the styles are vastly different within them. Some are like having a conversation, some are as garbled as having a conversation with someone suffering from dementia - style? voice? or perhaps just bad writing? lol
Nice little piece
GMG
Comment Written 06-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Thank you for your review and feedback. I really appreciate your insight into this topic. I agree that it is an interesting topic. I continue to read a lot of material on the subject of writing. I am beginning to see that writing is like carpentry. In carpentry, there are framers, cabinet makers, roofers, drywallers and even more. One carpenter is not likely to posses the skills to master every aspect of carpentry. The same is true for the writer. I know how to drive a nail as do I know how to write a sentence. My search continues in hope of finding the field of writing that appeals to me, and for which I have the right tools. Some day, I may be able to step back and say, "I wrote that." Thank you again G. You are an inspiration to me.
Comment from Sis Cat
I enjoyed this I Believe essay for it clear information differentiating a writer's voice from a writer's style. You establish your thesis in the opening line:
I believe it is the art of blending one's voice with style that determines the quality of the writer.
And then you make your arguments. I found several nuggets of information I could use like:
They enable a writer's writing to be clear, cohesive, comprehensible, concise, and correct (the five Cs).
You give voice to things I felt and intuited, and you write them in a way I can grasp:
Adapting your writing voice to the required style is the magic to quality writing.
I think writing is a growing process. Ones application of voice to style is an ongoing journey of discovery.
Thank you for sharing your I Believe ____ essay. I wish you contest success with your fine entry.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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I enjoyed this I Believe essay for it clear information differentiating a writer's voice from a writer's style. You establish your thesis in the opening line:
I believe it is the art of blending one's voice with style that determines the quality of the writer.
And then you make your arguments. I found several nuggets of information I could use like:
They enable a writer's writing to be clear, cohesive, comprehensible, concise, and correct (the five Cs).
You give voice to things I felt and intuited, and you write them in a way I can grasp:
Adapting your writing voice to the required style is the magic to quality writing.
I think writing is a growing process. Ones application of voice to style is an ongoing journey of discovery.
Thank you for sharing your I Believe ____ essay. I wish you contest success with your fine entry.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Thank you Sis, for your review and feedback. Yes, it is a journey, and I've only just begun. So far I am enjoying it very much. There has been one distraction along the way, and it's a voice saying, "Are we there yet?" Thank you again, have a great day.
Comment from apky
I like that nice finishing lines. But quite frankly, there are famous writers today who lack all of what you include in your essay. They are successful for other reasons, including connections. I know that cream will alwys float on top of the milk. But I also know that bestsellers in the majority are not WRITTEN, they are MADE.
I'll admit this outright; I'm seeing the five Cs ( They enable a writer's writing to be clear, cohesive, comprehensible, concise, and correct (the five Cs).) for the first time in my life, despite journalism!
Thanks for this.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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I like that nice finishing lines. But quite frankly, there are famous writers today who lack all of what you include in your essay. They are successful for other reasons, including connections. I know that cream will alwys float on top of the milk. But I also know that bestsellers in the majority are not WRITTEN, they are MADE.
I'll admit this outright; I'm seeing the five Cs ( They enable a writer's writing to be clear, cohesive, comprehensible, concise, and correct (the five Cs).) for the first time in my life, despite journalism!
Thanks for this.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 06-Jan-2018
reply by the author on 06-Jan-2018
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Thank you so much for your review and feedback. I agree, there are famous writers who break all the rules. Sometimes I wonder if that is how they became famous, because they had their own style, their unique voice. They were different than the norm. I hope to learn the rules of the various styles but, I hope to learn how to break them as well, and still have my voice heard. Thank you again, I appreciate it.