Have you ever encountered a story where two characters were different in personality and role, yet they sounded exactly the same? If you weren't paying attention, you’d think they were one person. It’s frustrating, isn’t it, and affects your immersion in the story. Not everyone speaks in anger, expresses fear, or shows joy in the same way. So how do we capture this distinction? How do we make sure that our characters don’t end up sounding like they are the same person; like they have the same voice? Note that when I say voice, I don't mean it in the vocal sense. I mean your speech, your communication. Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself:
What is their character/personality?
Who are they? Are they loud? Reserved? Well-mannered? Rude? Are they educated? Uneducated? Jaded? Naïve? How old are they? Knowing who they are is a key step to knowing their unique voice. For example, if person X is shy and reserved, then it would be weird if they rattled off paragraphs of dialogue consisting of long sentences. In the same way, an arrogant 12 year old would not sound the exact same way an arrogant 40 year old would.
What is their background?
Where do they come from? How were they raised? Who did they grow up with? What influences have they had in their life? Would someone who grew up in a loving home communicate the same way as someone who grew up in a rough household?
How do they use their language?
Everyone has their own way of speaking language. There are those who speak impeccably, following all the rules. There are those who break the rules and speak poor grammar. There are those who speak slang, and others who mix various languages together in a sentence. Some favour flowery speech and vocabulary while others put people to sleep when they speak. For some characters, language is a weapon, or a defense mechanism, and for others, language is a tool to woo people with their beautiful articulation. How does your character use language?
Do they use certain words more than others?
There are people who are known for certain phrases, words, or exclamations. And we may be one of those people even though we may be unaware of it. Is your character one of those people? What words, exclamations or phrases do they unconsciously favour?
What is their occupation/station in life?
The way we speak is greatly influenced by our occupation. A nurse thinks and communicates differently from a policeman, who thinks and communicates differently from a pastor, who thinks and communicates differently from a con artist, who thinks and communicates differently from a thug. An ultra wealthy person would not have the same voice as a poor person. A spoiled child would not have the same voice as a humble one.
Every character deserves their own voice
Think of two people you know well. Think of how they talk. What makes their voices distinct from each other? Write down what stands out. Try to answer the above questions, if you can. You may not be able to answer them all, and that’s okay. They are guidelines to help shed some light on what distinguishes one person from the other. Try it on yourself! And then try it on your characters. The best way to go about this is to start out with a good character profile from the very beginning; it may start out light and general, but as the story goes along, you will definitely be able to flesh out the character. The more you flesh out the character, the more you will get insight on what their voice is. Your characters deserve their own voices; it really does add up to them being engaging and interesting to read and follow. If you'd like to follow a structured guide on character building, follow this link to access a simple, easy to follow character building template (Dynamic Character Blueprint).
Happy writing!
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