Voices, Dialects & Gestures in Fiction Writing

Not only is there are than one way to skin a cat, but there's also more than one way to identify your characters in fiction writing. One of the first things that a publisher looks for in a marketable manuscript is character development, which often has much to do with voices, dialects and gestures.

Since you're writing a novel or short story rather than a screenplay, you don't have the benefit of great actors to develop their own characters. Instead, you must use your fiction writing talents to convey different voices, dialects and gestures to enhance the plot.

Voices

Have you ever read a novel and heard characters speaking in your mind? I do it all the time, and usually, I can't immediately pinpoint why they sound the way they do. That is a hallmark of a great writer; they put ideas and suppositions in your mind without your even realizing it.

The voices of your characters in fiction writing are important. Does one character squeal whenever she gets excited? Does your main character's boss speak in a low baratone? These different voices will not only add flavor to your viction writing, but will also give you a method with which to differentiate when one character is speaking, rather than overusing dialogue tags.

To demonstrate a particular voice, you can use a myriad of techniques. In the beginning, you can use dialogue tags and description to demonstrate a character's specific voice, but as the reader gets to know your characters, it will become implied.

Dialects

There's quite a bit of difference between fiction writing that includes dialect and fiction writing that doesn't. People come from a diverse array of backgrounds and not everyone in your fiction writing will speak with an imperceptible accent. One of the writers who has dialect down to an art is J.K. Rowling, whose characters have different European accents.