 For Authors: April 08, 2020 Issue [#10105] |
This week: First Sentences and Author Voice Edited by: Max Griffin đłď¸âđ  
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Weâve all read them: stories that grab you by the throat and force you to keep reading.
Thatâs the kind of story we all want to write. The problem is figuring out how to do it.
First sentences are notorious for being difficult to write. Stephen King has said that analyzing what makes a first sentence successful is like capturing moonbeams in a jar.
Writing instructors will give you formulae for successful first sentences. Start with action, they say. Donât start with a disembodied voice. Orient the reader in time and place. None of this is bad advice, but following a formula wonât, by itself, make your opening compelling.
Your first sentence is an invitation to your story. Youâre opening a gate, and youâre inviting the readers to step through it. We use craft to weave together characters, action, setting, plot and all the other elements into the tapestry that makes our story. But a compelling story is more than these building blocks.
Each writer brings a unique voice to their stories. The voice is the vehicle that conveys the story, that embodies the craft.
Consider the first sentence to The Long Goodbye, by Raymond chandler.
The first time I laid eyes on Terry Lennox he was drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith outside the terrace of The Dancers.
If youâve read Chandler, youâll recognize him at once. Ross MacDonald said that, â[Chandler] wrote like a slumming angel and invested the sun-blinded streets of Los Angeles with a wonderful gusto and imaginative flair.â Itâs Chandlerâs distinctive voice that draws the readers in and keeps them there.
You can think of an authorâs voice in somewhat the same way as a you think of a vocalistâs. For example, listen to Elvis or Tom Jones singing âYou Donât Have To Say You Love Me.â They can sing the same song, even the same arrangement, but no one would mistake one for the other. Elvis is Elvis and Tom Jones is Tom Jones. Of course, Dusty Springfieldâs rendition is different yet again. They each have a distinctive voice.
For another example from the world of writing, consider the opening sentence from Larry Nivenâs award-winning short story, âInconstant Moon.â
I was watching the news when the change came, like a flicker of motion at the corner of my eye.
Nivenâs voice is simple and direct. Itâs a mathematicianâs voice, reflecting his early training in that discipline. Heâs always in the moment, but mystery flickers at the edge of the here-and-now, as in this opening. I can imagine him spending weeks writing that sentence.
Not everyone is going to have a voice as powerful as Raymond Chandler, Elvis, or Niven. But their voices didnât come from nowhere. They understood who they were and worked to develop their voice, to fold themselves into their art.
We all have our own, unique voice. Understanding your voice requires that you have a deep understanding of yourself, who you are, and who you want to be. Your words convey your inner self, how you live and breathe. Chandler may have been that âslumming angel,â but youâll be someone else. Youâll be you. Youâre unique, and so is your voice.
Readers are drawn to genuine stories, told by genuine people. The storyteller doesnât have to be likable, or funny, or clever. But a good storyteller has to be genuine. Writing that reveals the inner person promises the reader honesty.
This is not to suggest you abandon craft. On the contrary. But donât let craft get in the way of telling your story, your way. Know your voice. Nurture your voice.
Even the most skilled vocalists train their voices. Your author's voice needs training, too, but that's a topic for another newsletter...
The message for today is to listen to your voice. Itâs not only the readersâ gateway to the story. Itâs your gateway, too. |
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