What's your voice?

Throughout my time spent writing, voice seems to be the most nebulous of concepts. A lot of people put pressure on writers to develop their voice as though it is something someone can sit down and intentionally do. I suppose there are exercises a writer could do to discover what their voice it, but I wouldn't worry about it as voice will come naturally as you write. After creating enough writing, you will be able to retrospectively make determinations of your voice. After years of writing, I hadn't thought of voice in my writing and so decided to take a look and take a stabe at describing it.

How it sounds:

When I read my work out loud, it has an honest tone to it. I wouldn't describe the prose as flowery—I'd say scant describes it better. I write with the assumption of an intelligent reader with a vibrant imagination who will decide for themselves what a character or scene might look like and so I don't fill pages with description. There is some description to give people an idea of an important character's appearance, but unless it mans something to the story, it won't be exhaustive.

I think of my voice as being similar to Curly Washburn from that movie City Slickers crossed with Dirty Harry. Maybe throw some Johnny Cash in there while you're at it—think of that song Hurt.

How it feels:

There are certainly readers who like everything to be nicely laid out with known rules and magic systems. That's not me. I write like I'd experience a world where so much human knowledge and accomplishment has been lost, magic has come to the world and the understanding of how people are where they are in the Dark Frontier is gone. If I was in that situation, I would see events happen in the world and have to go and figure out why. There is no one who will explain it to me, even if there are people who know.

The Dark Frontier is based on my life and experiences. I've been described as a pessimist, but people who know me well would say I am an optimist. My writing reflects a melancholy tone in an indifferent and brutal world, and at first glance I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking the Dark Frontier too bleak. However, within that there is hope and reason to think at least some things are going to turn out all right. Unapologetically however, just like the world we live in now, gettings things to turn out all right can be costly for many of us.

The truth of the Dark Frontier is intentionally obscured and it leaves the characters uncertain about their choices and they are made to do what all of us do—make the best decisions we can on the available information and go forward. The Dark Frontier is brutal and dark, but just like our own world, there are glimmers of light and love and that's enough to keep going.

My rhythm:

When the situation gets stressful or there is a lot going on, I tend to get laconic and shorten sentences and sometimes use fragments to add urgency, and then it will slow down and you can breath. I think there is balance between showing and telling, and honestly, I don't think too much about that. There are simply things that are best told and it gets tedious going through someone's physiologic responses to events when it only serves to slow things down. An example might be, if Blacktooth the magical giant black bear is chasing you through the woods, I think a reader can imagine what their body will be feeling during that experience and I don't need to bore you with pounding hearts and sweat and maybe tears.

My approach:

You are reading dark fantasy and have probably read or will read hundreds of books in your lifetime and that means you are a capable and intellegent reader. My books are complex, lots of characters that come and go but all play a part in the greater story. The Dark Frontier comes by the complexity honestly. I don't write much purple or flowery prose and like to think when it comes to the issues facing the characters, love, betrayal, sacrifice and all those other things that make the world real, you'll feel the honesty in the words.

My Prose:

No matter how many times a book is edited, there will be words that don't need to be there. I try to cut them and then my editor cuts more, but I'd say I am a lean writer. An example I see in many books is someone will say Billy started to run whereas I'd just say Billy ran. Action with few modifiers, but I am not averse to an adverb here and there and think the culture against using them is overblown.

I use some internal monologue and free indirect style and generally strive for useful diaglogue that usually has subtext the speaker is not willing to reveal. It fits my personality and the Dark Frontier. There are no flowery salutations, what an honor to meet you kind of stuff. The Dark Frontier is austere and practical.

Survival is complicated and rarely comes without cost to someone. Heroism is as messy as villainy and any choice we make, even if the right one, is going to cost something. As lonely as the Dark Frontier is, I hope when adventuring through it, you feel a little less alone, but you'll find few words of comfort. I want readers to feel like the experience was real and that means there is going to be pain, anger and endings that leave you gutted but hopeful there is still a chance for Emmele and her friends.

The characters:

I know some people like to know exactly who the good guys and bad guys are, and I sure don't mind that from time to time, but there are so few instances in our own world where such a line exists and so it makes sense characters would have the same complexity. Some of the characters who turn out to be villains have redeeming qualities even if misguided, to a point where a reader could say, I hate that guy but I understand who he is and why he did what he did.

Character emotions are understated, but that's because readers can imagine that gut punch feeling when a chracter has failed spectacularly and lost something precious to them. I don't judge the characters for what they do as that is the readers domain. Big moments will happen matter of fact because I don't want the blow softened. I want to be told what happened, not how to feel about it and so I don't do big leadups to disaster. A character might be having a drink and then someone walks in and tells them their house has burned down and they lost their family. I don't want some blathering guy telling me og my god such a terrible thing, you better sit down before I tell you kind of thing.

Some characters have attributes of people I know and some of them might even be able to determine who they are in the story. Many have attributes of my own personality. The female characters are based on my own beliefs in respect for and strength in all people and of course by my wife and daughter.

Themes:

There's not much I don't like though romance is not my best card for sure. I like dystopian worlds with a touch of body horror, the perceived threat of apocalypse and good intentions leading to catastrophic consequences. Within that, there is the need for community and belonging even if that circle of friends is very small and the belief in hope as the purpose that drives characters forward. There are nihilist components, and Ouros represents that to some degree, but it doesn't apply to any of the characters.

Other author influences:

I truly enjoy horror movies and modern westerns like Tombstone. I love the mythos of the gunslinger so that gets reflected in my writing. I read a lot of Stephen King (loved the first three books of the Dark Tower series... hated the ending of the series), Cormac McCarthy (especially Blood Merdian and Suttree). Joe Abercrombie and Joe Hill have grown on me. There are many other authors like Tolkien and Martin that deserve mention, but the truth is after hundreds of books, movies, etc I am a mishmash of thoughts and ideas in my writing.