Say It With Your Chest

On strengthening narrative voice

Welcome to the latest edition of the “Longhand” column, featuring deeper dives into writing topics. This column is a benefit for paid subscribers of Footnotes.

Ask any agent or editor what they're looking for in a manuscript and nine times out of ten they’ll say the same thing: voice. I’ve heard publishing’s gatekeepers echo a variation on the theme of “voice” more times than I can count. They want a voice that makes them sit up and listen, that blows the cobwebs from their brains, takes them by the shoulders and shakes off the thick layer of ennui that clings to them like ash. At least that’s what I’ve heard.

When pressed for more details on what makes a voice striking and compelling, these gatekeepers or purveyors of writing advice will often fall back on the same logic that US Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart did when describing how he knew the material in question was obscene or not: “I know it when I see it.”

So what exactly is voice? And how can writers improve theirs?

Voice is one of those nebulous terms that is hard to define. You can think of it literally—in the same way that each of us has a different audible voice, deep or high pitched, nasally or resonant, our narrative voice is unique. Even those who may not speak audibly, such as sign language users, have a specific style to their signs. Choppy or flowing, blindingly fast or determined and precise. All communication carries a distinctive signature from the originator. 

When it comes to text on a page, I believe voice is mostly innate, an accumulation of personal details you don’t consciously control. However, while conventional wisdom is that you can't teach voice, you can improve your sentences to make your natural voice stronger and more impactful. Much of writing craft education is focused on structure and plotting, since mastering these topics can be vital when writing popular fiction, and most workshops and critique groups struggle to help writers improve these macro story concerns. But voice occurs on the micro level, and improving your sentences is one way to strengthen your narrative voice.