G
Guest
Guest
Tatelou said:Yeah, I get you, Cant, and I do agree. More writing challenge threads is not what we need.
(Btw, even I agree now with the looking like the GB thing. HA! Stick that up your bums.)
Anyway, I digress...
We probably shouldn't do it as a challenge, where we have to write something new, about a particular topic, but it would be interesting if someone posted excerpts of people's writing (pieces from the current short or novel they're working on, or whatever), and they were posted and read "blind". Then other posters gave their opinion about who they thought wrote what.
Could be fun anyway.
Lou
I was thinking the same thing this morning. I think it would be a lot of fun to "Guess the Author". I'm in.
impressive
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2003
- Posts
- 27,372
cantdog said:
cheerful_deviant
Head of the Flock
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2004
- Posts
- 10,487
impressive said:
Ok, guess I shouldn't have sent that PM.
Guess I should wait for the rules to be decided before I hit SEND.
G
Guest
Guest
cantdog said:
*slurp*
G
Guest
Guest
impressive said:
Yep, cool. Go for it!!!
Edited: TMI for this kind of thread.
Last edited by a moderator:
cantdog
Waybac machine
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2004
- Posts
- 10,791
Tell you what, though. This was a fair to good discussion until it spawned a baby.
How do we make the distinction between style and voice? For me, style is describable, differentiable, out there for all to see. I think with Charley, I was mostly describing style, for example.
Where voice underlies style and is somewhat independent of it. Some authors, you settle in and give them your attention, knowing you're in the hands, as it were, of a trustworthy mind. That's voice.
How do we make the distinction between style and voice? For me, style is describable, differentiable, out there for all to see. I think with Charley, I was mostly describing style, for example.
Where voice underlies style and is somewhat independent of it. Some authors, you settle in and give them your attention, knowing you're in the hands, as it were, of a trustworthy mind. That's voice.
cheerful_deviant
Head of the Flock
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2004
- Posts
- 10,487
cantdog said:
I was kindof under the impression that your 'voice' really was your personel style. Yes you can jump genes or swich from first person to third person, but don't you find that you always have the same feel to your stories?
I know that when I write, I find myself thinking 'that sounds just like my last story'. THen I end up rewriting, trying to get a different feel but I don't think I'm all that successful. I still can see similarities in word choice and gramar usage through all my stories.
impressive
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2003
- Posts
- 27,372
cantdog said:
No spitting on the baby.
impressive
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2003
- Posts
- 27,372
cantdog said:
And THAT is the ultimate compliment -- the giving of trust.
TheEarl
Occasional visitor
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2002
- Posts
- 9,808
I'd say that the difference between style and voice is that style can be chosen. I can write dark fiction, I can write cerebral stuff and I can write sci-fi. All sorts of styles, but my voice shines through in every one. That I cannot change without relearning how to write fiction.
The Earl
The Earl
Lucifer_Carroll
GOATS!!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2004
- Posts
- 3,319
cantdog said:
It's probably not dictionary accurate, but I separate voice and style into natural and chosen camps. Anyone who has read my works knows I change tone, genres, focus, and to some degree style on a regular basis. From my hard fantasy pieces to my comic satire pieces to my depressing painful pieces to my pure stroke pieces. Each one is radically different from the others in many ways espeically in what emotions it tries to evoke and how in-depth it goes into the character's mind.
Yet at the heart, there are standard things that connect all of these radically different stories and sort of point out a similar mind behind it all, standard traits and habits that are hard to shake even when I'm being experimental. Look at experimental pieces like All Hallow's Eve or Valentine's in the Dregs below and compare them to my Merry Adevtures of Puck tale. The styles are radically different, but the voice has enough commonalities that I suspect someone would be able to pinpoint all of them as being my works even without the author name above.
That's what I see as being different between style and voice. The voice is the natural portion of your writing that threads it commonly together and the style is what you have picked and chosen to bring a certain work to life.
That's not to say that voice never changes or adopts new pieces (i used to have a twist ending part to my voice and it has temporarily changed to a tendency to make endings vaguely happy) or that one can't with heavy concentration write a piece that breaks their voice's tendency, but that it is the natural tendency for writings.
cantdog
Waybac machine
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2004
- Posts
- 10,791
It took a little reading, but I see what you're saying. The Earl's notion that you couldn't really alter your voice without learning to produce fiction all over again is pretty close to that concept. Subtle grammar, paragraphing, vocab, and sentence structure choices produce a natural (to you) rhythm of "speech."
It is deeper, more intimate, and more characteristic as well as more subtle.
It is deeper, more intimate, and more characteristic as well as more subtle.
G
Guest
Guest
You think so?cantdog said:
Read any of my works, then read Rideme Cowgirls story, Then read some of my dragon pieces. I doubt you would recognise them as being from the same person if you didn't know it beforehand.
As I have said before, writing is not all that dissimilar to acting. You have to get into the character and make it believable to really make the story work. Some people can do it by playing the same character with a different name and setting. Kevin Costner and Keanu Reeves come to mind. But if you really want to broaden your abilities, write something totally out of character. Get into it and LIVE that character as you write. Learn to change your voice, learn to speak in character without using yourself as that character. I think you can achieve something truly glorious in that.
impressive
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2003
- Posts
- 27,372
matriarch said:
You do. I think I could pick out your work.
CharleyH
Curioser and curiouser
- Joined
- May 7, 2003
- Posts
- 16,771
matriarch said:
LOL - I think I remember you saying that either earlier on this thread, or elsewhere. So is this your indication, subtley *cough* that you entered a story? Because I am not guessing on anyone who has not posted a guess card
Simply because I am not familiar with all writers yet, and must read, read, read.
G
Guest
Guest
CharleyH said:LOL - I think I remember you saying that either earlier on this thread, or elsewhere. So is this your indication, subtley *cough* that you entered a story? Because I am not guessing on anyone who has not posted a guess card
OH OH PICK ME PICK ME PICK ME!!!
Debbie
matriarch
Rotund retiree
- Joined
- May 25, 2003
- Posts
- 22,743
CharleyH said:LOL - I think I remember you saying that either earlier on this thread, or elsewhere. So is this your indication, subtley *cough* that you entered a story? Because I am not guessing on anyone who has not posted a guess card
Oh hell!
Now I'm repeating myself!
I don't remember saying it before, and if I did, I apologise for the middle-age memory lapse. (I'll have to go back and look now!)
No, Charley, I'm not hinting, I haven't entered a story on the 'blind tasting' thread. The theme is not something I feel able to write about.
How's that for selectivity??
logophile
Verbose
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2004
- Posts
- 7,368
I probably have a voice. Although, like my speaking voice, I'm sure I don't like it much.
I'm wordy.
My characters think too much.
I don't like euphamisms for genitalia, so I'm afraid I'm redundant as well.
I didn't contribute to this month's Voice thread cause I can't think of anything to write about having to do with mugging or burglary. I'll keep track for next month, though.
I'm wordy.
My characters think too much.
I don't like euphamisms for genitalia, so I'm afraid I'm redundant as well.
I didn't contribute to this month's Voice thread cause I can't think of anything to write about having to do with mugging or burglary. I'll keep track for next month, though.
Similar threads
