The first time you hear them, it is faint. A word in the back of your mind, half-whispered, not quite your own. Then they speak again. This time it is clearer. A sharp laugh, a complaint, a memory that does not belong to you. Soon they are standing there, waiting to be written.
That is voice. It is not about grammar or accent (although they’re sure to develop soon after). It is about the perspective that makes a character feel alive, as if they had been walking around long before you met them.
It’s no secret that my first children’s book, Mongoose Betty, was a decade in the making. But the characters? They’d lived, fully formed in my mind, complete with the idiosyncrasies that made them unique, for far longer than ten years.
So, if you’re struggling to find your character’s voice, here are a few tips to draw it out into the open:
1. Tune Into Your Own Patterns
Pay attention to how you speak and think when you are under pressure, or when you are at ease. Do you cut straight to the point, or do you layer your words with detail? Try letting a character borrow your patterns for a day. Write about the weather or the train ride home but filter it through their perspective.
2. Give Them Something to Hide
Characters sound different when they carry secrets. Someone who wants to stay unnoticed will choose their words carefully, while someone desperate for recognition will fill every silence. Think about what your character is unwilling to share and let that shape their tone.
3. Borrow From the World Around You
Listen closely. People speak in fragments, in rhythms and in pauses. A neighbour who always starts with “listen,” or a friend who never finishes a sentence, can spark the pattern of an entirely new voice.
4. Let Them Push Back
Sometimes you imagine a scene one way, but the character seems to resist. Perhaps they answer a question with humour when you expected anger. Let them. A voice that insists on itself often leads you into richer territory.
5. Experiment Without Fear
Play is often the key. Write their shopping list, their unfinished letter, their private confession. These fragments may never appear in the final draft, but they reveal the edges of a voice you can return to again and again.
When the Voice Refuses to Arrive
Not every character will reveal themselves on schedule. That silence does not mean the story is lost. It may mean you need another listener.
That is where Aquilla Books comes in. We specialise in shaping voices that sound as though they had always belonged to your characters. If your story feels vivid in your mind but that won’t translate to the page, I can help you bridge the gap.
Sit quietly, listen, and see who begins to speak. And if they remain silent, reach out. Together we will find the voice that belongs to your story.
