Books for Finding Your Voice
A list of intrepid tomes that dare to teach what many say cannot be taught.
Voice is a challenging topic to write about. Do we mean the sound of the words on the page? The unique quality inherent to each authors writing style? The quality of writing that makes a character live on the page and memorable long after the book has been put aside? Or do we mean some magic melding of the three and something more besides. There are some few books that address the topic directly and even more that circle around the topic like its a sleeping bear in the room, best not talk about it too directly or it might wake up and then where would we be?
Some few books do take on that challenge directly. This is my list of those intrepid tomes that dare to attempt to teach what many say cannot be taught. Rest assured voice can be learned and even deliberately refined, but it takes work. My best advice, as in other lists is to not just read the books but do the exercises. You'll find your writing better for it over time.
List Criteria: Books that either focus on voice as the main topic, or have a major section on the topic.
The Sound on the Page - Ben Yagoda
Through interviews with authors, research, and his own analysis Ben Yagoda dives deep on what it means to develop your own voice. A single topic book that dives deep into the various aspects of voice, but skips the exercises in favor of more perspectives. Overall a useful book to getting many perspectives on the topic.
Voice - James Scott Bell
James Scott Bell’s exercises are rooted in the theater world and are all about making characters memorable, emotions more relatable, and hitting the right notes for your genre. This is a quick read with most of the back half of the work given over to genre examples so it's a good option if you are looking for quick advice with some depth behind it.
Steering the Craft - Ursula K. Le Guin
If you want to make your words sing and speak with a thousand tongues then you’ll want to work through the exercises in Steering the Craft. The text will guide you through how to select a point-of view, how to keep your prose interesting, and indeed how to distinguish your writing from other writers. Just steer clear of the advice on writing groups in the last chapter.
Never Say You Can’t Survive - Charlie Jane Anders
If you saw the title of this article and thought it would be about speaking out and taking a stance, you need to read Charlie Jane Anders. She has lots of practical advice on staying sane while incorporating politics and fighting for what you believe with your fiction, plus all the usual things about building unique stories and characters that will let your readers escape to new lands.
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