 Drama: February 22, 2012 Issue [#4887] |
  Drama
This week: Voice and Tone in The Night Circus Edited by: NickiD89  
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Like many of you, I've considered myself a writer my whole life. But in 2007, I shifted out of hobbyist mode, started writing for an audience, and embarked on the exciting journey towards publication. As I continue on that path and delve ever deeper into the craft, I feed an insatiable appetite for creative writing theory. I seek out how-to books and workshop experiences to augment and amplify whatever talent I possess. For those of you like me, here's a little theory to appease your hunger.
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Voice and Tone in The Night Circus
I'm reading a phenomenal book. It both entertains me and excites the writer in me, and it has sparked my latest study of voice and tone in literature.
The book is Erin Morgenstern's debut novel The Night Circus. From the first sentence I read in the book store, I was hooked. It teems with Morgenstern's strong, intoxicating authorial voice. This is how the book opens:
"The man billed as Prospero the Enchanter receives a fair amount of correspondence via the theater office, but this is the first envelope addressed to him that contains a suicide note, and it is also the first to arrive carefully pinned to the coat of a five-year-old girl."
This is not the voice of any one character. Morgenstern's narration in The Night Circus is third-person omniscient, allowing her to peel back the layers of each character from her bird's eye perspective. But she manages to do this while lacing each scene with a surprising dose of intimacy. The effect is magical, the narration dissolving into a solution of voice that is uniform and engaging.
Voice is the personality of a story. Morgenstern's voice transports you to the mysterious world she's created, one that exists on the fringes of 19th century Europe. The story is fantastical but reads like a period piece. Her voice is as distinct as a Tim Burton film is visually recognizable.
Morgenstern's voice comes alive through her organic indulgence of tone. Tone and voice walk the literary halls hand-in-hand. Where voice is the personality of a story, tone is the language employed to create emotional impact in the reader. Look at this short excerpt which exemplifies both the voice and tone of The Night Circus:
"The woman is a magician with clothing, the papers say. A miracle worker. Mme. Padva dismisses these comments, though she does joke that with enough silk and an industrial strength corset she could make Chandresh himself pass for the most fashionable of ladies.
On this evening, Mme. Padva wears a dress of black silk, hand embroidered with intricate patterns of cherry blossoms, something like a kimono reincarnated as a gown. Her silver hair is piled atop her head and held in place with a small jeweled black cage. A choker of perfectly cut scarlet rubies circles her neck, putting forth a vague impression of her throat having been slit. The overall effect is slightly morbid and incredibly elegant."
Both voice and tone in literature are concepts hard for me to grasp. Each time I think I understand one term, I read something that suggests I'm really exploring the other. For this reason, my next two newsletters will be dedicated to exploring the definitions and differences in voice and tone.
Until then, tell me what you're reading. Have you discovered a book recently that ignited new explorations for the writer in you?
Thanks for reading!
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| |  | Turning Point (E)
A story through dialogue and narration showing action and tone of voice for SSW
#650783 by Vivian  |
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| | Kip (13+)
A young thief gets in trouble while stealing to provide for a starving family
#1848101 by Wings  |
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Question for next time: Tell me what you're reading. Have you discovered a book recently that ignited new explorations for the writer in you?
Last month's question was: Can you judge the rhythm of your own work, or do you look to reviewers and critique partners to evaluate the fluency of your writing? And, do you think you can dance...dance...dance? Here's what readers had to say:
bertiebrite hoping for peace -- I am not a perfect writer, but I can dance very well . . . thank you.
Me: Just how I describe myself, too! 
Mara ♣ McBain  -- I'm going to say that, NO, I can't pick the rhythm out in my own writing. Thank God for an amazing editor!  I had honestly never considered any of this until I spoke with you. You're a God send.
Me: Mara, we're learning together, which is a beautiful thing. It's only been through articulating concepts like these that I understand them, at all. Thanks for walking this journey with me!!!
Danger Mouse  -- Great newsletter.
As a writter of flash fiction, I think rhythm is very important. It is what draws the reader in and immerses them in the story.
Me: I agree! And it's interesting to consider how the rhythm of a story affects the emotional arc, depending also on the length of the story. The shorter the story, the more intense the rhythm. Great comment!
jbenj -- I don't know about dancing... twinkle toes, I am not. Anyhow, I've always been mindfull of the rhythm of the words. Telling a story is as much about the feel as it is about the story being told. Word choice is extremely important and like you said, short or long sentences can be the difference between action/suspence and lyrical. You wouldn't want to be long and flowing when writing an action scene. Thanks for the great newsletter.
Me: So true! Emotional impact is directly linked to rhythm, and you can really "feel" it when the rhythm is off.
BIG BAD WOLF is Merry  -- I just go with the flow, and boy does it like to go. (Submitted item: "The Hunt" )
Me: Sounds perfectly alright (to) me!
Power Unit -- I've been omitting commas in a few of my lists. I did it out of instinct to raise the tension. To me it speaks of ranting:
"Roger told us this drive from Regina to Saskatoon would be more interesting than the one from Winnipeg. Roger really needs to travel the country and see some real hills and valleys and lakes and oceans. These little swales out here are not hills, Roger."
I'd appreciate any comments.
Me: Yes, I think the effect of no commas in this list really heightens the "sound" of aggravation or exasperation in the speaker's voice. If they were in there, the pacing would slow down as the reader's mind hesitated at each comma. Using the word "and" instead of commas has the opposite effect. The mind speeds up, reading at a faster rate as the repetition sets in. Brilliant example of using rhythm to affect emotional impact! Thanks for sharing.  
blunderbuss -- Rhythm Method. Well I think I do this naturally, when I am writing well (which isn't all, or even the majority of the time!) but, having read this guide has got me thinking. Do I?
I am now rushing off to check something.... I expect you can guess what it is!
Thanks for a very useful tool to writing.
Regards
Diane
Me:  You're so welcome! And I think few writers are truly gifted when critiquing their own work. A first-time reader can pick out issues our trained eyes passed over hundreds of times. Thank goodness for reviewers and beta readers!
See you all back here on March 21, 2012. Until then, have a great month!
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