I thought I might start posting writing craft tips. I don’t have the time or energy to write actual articles or essays, but I can summon up enough goomph to grab some bullet points from various talks and presentations I’ve given. Below is a bit on voice from a Zoom talk I recently gave to the creative writing program at the University of British Columbia.
One of the things that distinguishes middle-grade fiction from other age categories is voice. Here’re a few bullet points to consider when writing for kids, when analyzing voice, and when developing your own voice:
Dialog is not voice.
Dialog is a reflection, but not a complete revelation, of interior thoughts and feelings and attitudes.
Dialog is how characters talk, but voice permeates every aspect of writing, from description to narrative.
Dialog is what comes from the mouth. Voice is what comes from the writer’s brain and heart.
How does a pre-teen see the world?
How does a pre-teen see themself?
What is a pre-teen’s emotional vocabulary?
What questions does a pre-teen ask about the world and the way it works?
Focus less on what kids sound like than on what it feels like to be a kid.
Still don’t know what middle-grade voice is? Read ten recent middle-grade books to get a hint.
Love,
Greg van Eekhout
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