You’re probably the go-to writer for everyone you know. Aren’t you?
If someone needs a resume cover letter, a complaint letter, a business letter, an admissions letter, they come to you.
But here’s the catch—each type of letter requires a different voice and tone. After all, the letter is supposed to be coming from our friend. We know what they sound like: their own, unique voice.
The important business email for your friend? The employee’s coworkers are expecting business-language speak and a brusque, professional, confident attitude. You’re using silly, business words and phrases like “going forward,” “leverage,” “out of the box,” “big hitter,” etc. It should sound like your friend, being professional.
The complaint letter? A well-documented tale of woe with just a tinge of sarcasm or irritation. My favorite thing to do for friends who ask me to write their complaint letters is to take the corporation’s slogan off their website, transplant it to the top of the letter, and outline how the company failed to live up to it. Your friend’s voice, but frustrated.
A letter to the principal of your friend’s child’s school? Very much like a complaint letter, but scattered with insight into the friend’s child, casting the child in a sympathetic light. The tone is of concern for the child. Write these letters in a nurturing voice—your friend–the responsible, concerned parent who is partnering with the principal in an important role.
Sometimes I think as writers we over-think voice. It comes naturally to us—voice is that voice in our heads when we’re thinking or reading. We’ve changed in it the above examples because of the situation and because the letter is supposed to be coming from our friends, not us. Our friends don’t sound like us. We made the voice in the letter sound like them…with a problem.
But our books are from us—unless we’re ghostwriting. Our voices, telling the story, on paper.
It’s fun even in the blogging world to try to figure out voices! At the recent conference I attended, I was able to meet some of the writers I’ve met blogging. And surprisingly, they matched the voice of the person I’d gotten to know through blogging! So I do think if we’re genuine in our blogs and in our writing, then our voice comes through.
We have as many “voices” as we have roles. I do technical writing at my job which is different than when I write love notes to my family. I write personal entries in my journal. We are many voices that make up one wonderful character. This is what I need to remember when I sketch out my story characters- they are not one dimensional.
You really hit an important point about voices, Elizabeth. When I write, the work is, indeed, my voice coming through. Mark Twain once said (so I am told) that people could get to know him and the kind of person he was through his books. That’s how I think we writers are: the characters we create and the situations in which they find themselves are our voices speaking. Interesting “food for thought” as always :).
Yet another astute post.
Questions: So would you say that your voice is identical in your two series? Do you have to “work” to make them sound a little different, if they do?
I absolutely hated a stint I did in Customer Service at a major tourist attraction because you darn sure can’t write a response to a whiner in MY voice.
I was always being warned to be tactful when I had to do professional stuff. I DO know the difference, however. Yet people were surprised I knew how to handle things.
My kids would come to me for help when they needed someone to bitch (although they always apologized for using the word when they asked.)
Voice! Who are we when we write. Even most bloggers have a familiar feel to them after a bit. Sometimes I say something to my friends in my blogger voice and I hear it when they do! Yikes. In the sort of psychotherapy I use, it is called ego-states. Am I in my Nuturing or Critical Parent? Do I have access to my Free Child or is the Adaptive Rebellious one at large? And as I mentioned in response to a comment today (blog that is) I also have an inner disc jockey who always knows the song for each emotion, action or thought. Jeesh. And when writing – choosing instinctively or thoughtfully what voice I’m in is a key moment. Are my characters reliable? Only if I make sure their voices are truly theirs and not ones my repressed school teacher ma’am would like them to have!
As I am not a published author, I am very rarely asked to write something on someone else´s behalf.
One genre I master, though, is letters to the editor. I was involved in politics some years ago, and writing these outraged letters against whatever the government was doing or planning was SO fun! Perhaps that is how I practised flash fiction: playing with 2-500 words, aiming at provoking the readers.
I’ve always been the ‘go-to writer’ when it came to business letters. However, I’ve also written huge numbers of press releases for my (and other) theatre companies. Each requires writing in a different style. I’ve always been lucky that I can switch my brain between business and creative. Then there’s the part of my brain that writes my mysteries…it’s getting crowded up there!
Elspeth
Oooh yeah – I am DEFINITELY the go-to writer in my family and circle of friends. Thanks for the useful voice tutorial. Works for me!
The Old Silly
Jan–Psychotherapy is fascinating to me! Loved my psych course in college. You’d do well to write a psychological thriller…
Jody–That’s absolutely true. I can tell when I’m reading someone’s blog a bit of who they are–if they’re really using their voice. If they write just twice a month or something, they’re more stilted, usually. Very unnatural and I can’t help but wonder what their writing is like.
Journaling Woman–You make a good point, here. I feel, though, that I’m *always* the same…the same voice, but showing more warmth or more reserve or more anger or more of a fun side.
But I have to admit that in person, I behave differently with different groups of people. Awkward with some groups, lighthearted with others, professional with some, the Fun Mommy with my kids’ friends…but I don’t see it in my writing quite as much.
Marvin–It’s almost like being a doctor, isn’t it? Except people aren’t coming up to us at parties asking about their inner ear issues…
Alan–I’d say my voice is *exactly* the same. I think anyone could pick up the Riley Adams book (my pen name) and read the first page, then read a Myrtle Clover first page and realize I wrote both, even though there are two different names on the cover.But then, Berkley liked the voice and asked for the same voice on their series. Th plots are different, characters behave differently and have different personal voices, but the overall voice is the same.
I don’t know if other publishers would go for that. I don’t know if it would work if I tried to write a different genre. And I don’t think I could use some aspects of my voice (which sometimes drifts into a storytelling-style narrative) if I wrote a book that *wasn’t* set in the American South.
When asked, I’ve offered suggestions or ideas but I have never written a letter for someone else – hope that doesn’t reflect on my writing skills! I agree that our voice comes naturally to us. When I try to write in a different style, it never sounds right to me. I guess our voice is who we are and there’s no escaping that.
I so know what you mean. When I am writing dialogue, for instance, I always have the characters actually speaking in my mind – all I do is put what they say down on paper.
Never done letters for anyone else, but I love how you write the complaint letter – seems a very effective strategy.
Complaint Letters? I rarely complain since no one listens anyway. I did write a professional complaint letter to the corporate offices of my gym to change the water in the jacuzzi.
Adding chemicals to “dirty bath water” just didn’t get the water clean as evidenced by the black suds and short curly and long straight hairs floating on the water. And the water is just a filthy today. So once again, no one listnes to complaints.
Stephen Tremp
I have ‘edited’ for others before, but not written. Funny though–my ‘angry voice’ (when I complain) rants a little, and I spent enough time in customer service to know rants get tuned out. I think the best advice for these comes from someone sympathetic with the field you are appealing to: I had a problem with my kids elementary school principal (my kid was being pigeonholed–framed even, as a bully, when it was the other kid with the problem). My solution was to write my rant as well as possible, then ask a teacher friend to help me ‘make it palatable’ so the principal wouldn’t tune me out. Worked like a charm! (though I did leave in the line about the other mother needing years of therapy *snort* gotta still be me)
A unique voice is something agents and publishers are looking for. Each writer, because s/he has had different live experiences, upbringing, schooling, beliefs, etc., has a unique voice. When you write, I believe it’s better to try to sound like yourself, not the current best-selling author. Great post.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Never thought about being a go-to writer before, but you’re right, I am. Even at work where my writing is not known, I’m asked to proof and co-write letters for colleagues. I’ve never written another’s letter alone, as I’ve always worried about voice!
Jane–I revised my friends’ and family’s letters for a while, but that got old, fast. I decided that I wrote better than they did, anyway and it took a lot less time for me just to write the darned thing than to revise theirs, hand it back, have them correct it, send it to me, me revise again, etc. They seemed relieved. :)
Rayna–That’s exactly how it is for me–I’m transferring my characters’ thoughts and voices onto paper.
Terry–I think writing an effective complaint letter is SO useful. I write a fair number of them–but for every complaint, I have a policy for balancing it out with a letter praising an employee who really shone at another company. That way I don’t feel wicked.
Stephen–Ew! Can you cc the Board of Health in your area? Maybe that would help. Fight dirty with the dirt!
Hart–It’s harder when we’re writing on our child’s behalf, isn’t it? I usually have my dispassionate voice when I’m writing, but it’s hard to hold onto it when my kids are involved.
Dorte–I love it! I bet you had fun writing for and against different policies, too.
Helen–You’re right–our voice is what sells us.
Elspeth–That’s a lot of writing that isn’t WIP writing! You sound incredibly productive.
The most important letter I’ve ever been asked to write was one on behalf of my little four year old brain-damaged grandson. Funding was being cut on a crucial therapy program here in the State of California, and his parents needed to make a case for the little guy to be chosen to remain enrolled. I did a little meditation before writing the letter. I wanted the tone to be suitable, I wanted to make our case. I’m happy to report, the letter did the trick!
Elizabeth–I’ve never had to write anything so important. I’d have been meditating, too. Your grandson was very fortunate to have you as an advocate.
This is a thought-provoker for me…particularly as it applies to different characters. I have a tendency to make all my characters sound the same…voice and emotion wise. Not the big emotional stuff, that’s easy to do. But the subtleties of everyday character life is where I stumble. Sadly, I write the way I write and it’s tough for me to consciously change that—-though I know I need to. So, if I’m not paying attention, my protagonist and antagonist can sound like the same person with different goals. Drives me crazy when I catch myself doing it. Grrr.
Best Regards, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Galen–It’s so easy to do that! Which may be why I cheat a bit…I’ll pattern characters after people I know. Then I have them react to situations like I *know* they’d react if they were in them. Makes it easier. :)
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Jemi–After the first couple, it gets easier. Not that we want to encourage people to give us more work! :)