Voice: The Story Only You Can Write

by Jacquie Rogers
Copyright © 2009 Jacquie Rogers

What Makes a Compelling Story?

Many say it’s all about character.  Others opine that pacing is what draws us in, that the quicker we want to turn the page, the more compelling a story is.  And then there are those who point out that if the plot doesn’t trigger the reader’s imagination, then the best characterization and pacing in the world can’t save the story.  It’s all about plot.

I have to agree with Robert McKee on this one.  It’s not about any of these things, but rather all of them.

It’s all about story.  The whole story.  But it’s also about how a writer tells that story.

We’re all very different in how we tell a story–our style, sentence structure, word choices, metaphors, and rhythm.  Some are more compelling to us and some are not.  Check your friends’ favorite author lists.  Each friend will have a different list because those authors’ voices–the way they tell their stories–draw their own pool of fans.

Think of your last extended family dinner.  No, not the one where everyone couldn’t get away from the table fast enough to watch the football game.  I’m talking about the ones where extended family members sit around and reminisce about old times.  There’s always one person who can’t seem to get a story straight, stutters a bit, then ends up looking at another family member and saying, “You tell it, Frank.”

How about the ones who go on and on and on, never really getting to the action or the punchline?  Those storytellers put some of us to sleep, but they draw others in. They love the detail, the nuances of family life, the texture of old times.

Then there are those who tell riveting stories, maybe embellished a bit (each time!), but you can hardly wait for these storytellers to get their turn, because they have you at the edge of your seat.  They can make you laugh until your sides hurt, or they can tell creepy stories that scare you half out of your wits, or they draw you into an emotional rollercoaster with an ending that makes you beg them for another story.  Just one more!

This is voice.  It’s how we tell our stories.

One of the hardest things to do is find out how best to tell our stories and not hide our natural voices.  Wouldn’t it be a travesty if Stephen King thought he had to tell his stories the same way Mary Renault did?  Or if Susan Elizabeth Phillips thought she had to write like Dean Koonz? Yes, it would’ve been horrible!  The world would’ve missed some marvelous stories. And you know what, it’s highly likely that neither Stephen King nor Susan Elizabeth Phillips would have ever been offered a publishing contract if they had tried to be someone else.

We’re all different.  That’s one thing I love about the world of writers and books.

So how do you find your voice?  Listen to yourself when you’re gossiping with your friends.  Write that way.  Write as if you’re telling a story after dinner.  Write without thinking about that perfect word.  Let your hair down and go for it!  I guarantee you’ll write some good pieces.

Try it–it’s fun!

Faery Merry Christmas

by Jacquie Rogers
(Kindle only at this time)

Romance has gone awry in Faeryshire.

Who would’ve thought Mr. and Mrs. Claus’s daughter would be “on the shelf”? Yep, Cheshya’s all a’flutter because her 2,000th birthday, the last day she’s eligible to take a mate, is on Christmas, only four days away, but Liam of the Red Clan, the only man she has ever wanted is otherwise occupied . . .

Terra Humanus in 1956: carhops on roller skates, the submarine races, a pink Nash Metropolitan, Lucky Strikes, Little Richard, and the Shoreline Sharks Baseball Club starring ace pitcher Liam Stone.

For the past five years, Liam of the Red Clan has lived in Terra Humanus, pitching for the Shoreline Sharks and obsessed with signing as a major league pitcher with the Cincinnati Reds. The faery queen sends Cheshya to help him achieve his goal, but in signing with the Reds, will he lose out on his true heart’s desire?

What will it take to make a Faery Merry Christmas?

“What faery fun! A winsome sprite’s barely still-ticking time clock. Mayhem in the land of Claus. And the man who could wave just the right magic wand obsessed with baseball. A Christmas story to cuddle up with–and keep you really warm.” Stella Cameron, NYT Best-selling Author