Writer’s “Voice” Defined

By Natalie Bright

Children’s writers gathered in Oklahoma City at the end of March for the SCBWI-Oklahoma chapter’s annual Spring conference. The delightful Regional Advisor, Anna Myers, and her volunteers put together an informative and inspiring day.

More than one presenter elaborated on “voice”; the thing that some writers seem to come by naturally, and the rest of us wonder where in the heck the line is to get one.  Several of the speakers helped shed some light on this elusive muse.

Authorial or Narrative

“Editors are always looking for strong, new voices,” said Krista Marino, Executive Editor at Delacorte. She explained that there is an authorial voice and a narrative voice. Authorial being the distinctive finger print that an author might put on one’s work, and the kind that passes from one piece to the next. A narrative voice is what a reader remembers when she reads the book and this is what editors are looking for.

Maggie Lehrman, Sr. Editor with Amulet/Abrams Books, noted that a strong voice for her represents memorable characters, plus style and diction all rolled together. “Care is taken in language and word choice, and there is a rhythm that is unique in some way.”

One of a Kind Voice

Noa Wheeler, editor at Henry Holt, read a passage from one of my all-time favorites, Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. She said, “The language in this story makes us wonder at the magic.”

It wasn’t that long ago that I had read Tuck Everlasting for the second time. As an adult the words and the story made an impression.  Hearing Wheeler read out loud, the words absolutely blew me away. There is no mistaking  the “voice” which was made even more unique by the rhythm of the words and how each word fit together in a unique way.

Finding YOUR Voice

As a children’s writer, I particularly appreciated the closing advice from Marino. “Erase the worldliness of your life,” she said. “Find the smallness of their world. Remember the protag doesn’t have a wealth of experiences to draw from.”

Lehrman urged us to draw out what’s unique in our own particular story. “Passion and heart must come through to your words. Find the right tone, speak to a kid’s experiences and have fun.”

I think agent, Marietta Zacker, summed the day up perfectly during the afternoon session when she said, “Use the experiences that are real to you, because you’ve felt them. Write and illustrate what you know to be true, not just what you know.”

Here’s Your To Do’s:

Do re-read the classics in children’s literature.

Do read the new releases too.

Do plan to attend an SCBWI regional conference near you.  http://www.scbwiok.org

Do stay connected with the people you’ve exchanged business cards.

Do keep writing!

Natalie Bright