tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post1781570980120181077..comments2023-05-07T03:47:02.348-04:00Comments on The Rockville 8: Voice and the ValentineThe Eighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03966202602120800766noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-87353518385136750752011-02-15T10:03:45.884-05:002011-02-15T10:03:45.884-05:00Alexander - I *love* it! The choices you made in t...Alexander - I *love* it! The choices you made in those few short lines already tell me something about your voice, I think. Poetic, romantic, lyrical - as though I could really see Mary and John in their teenaged pas-de-deux. Terrific imagery and just a bit angsty. Way cool.Keely Thrallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05656529091898492453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-44155806662310135892011-02-15T09:58:57.280-05:002011-02-15T09:58:57.280-05:00Nic - thanks! I like how you state the difference ...Nic - thanks! I like how you state the difference between voice and theme. I think that's part of what I was trying to control for (sorry, Candy, more math allusions!) in imagining a single scenario through multiple author POVs. Not sure that's the best methodology to examine this, but...Keely Thrallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05656529091898492453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-19791539095250412582011-02-15T09:54:05.084-05:002011-02-15T09:54:05.084-05:00Candy - I think you're right - voice is a lot ...Candy - I think you're right - voice is a lot about core story. I think that's what makes this exercise so interesting - like giving three artists the same still life to draw. In the hands of three masters, the results will likely be three utterly distinct pieces and we'd be able to tell immediately who drew which (think Picaso, Rembrandt, Grandma Moses) because those artists knew their style (voice). The same exercise in a beginning art class might instead net you a round of rather bland and literal interpretations with small hints of individuality because the newbies don't have their "voice" honed yet.Keely Thrallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05656529091898492453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-5068806862255551862011-02-15T01:10:13.171-05:002011-02-15T01:10:13.171-05:00How would I spin it?
John approaches Mary in ever...How would I spin it?<br /><br />John approaches Mary in ever-tightening circles, almost waltzing through the crowd of kids.<br /><br />Mary, unconsciously, retreats in ever-widening ellipses, closed curves of dreams that almost haunt.<br /><br />They never intersect at the dance but their friends do notice.<br /><br />The rumors circulate for a week, finally bringing John and Mary together...Alexander M Zoltaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05834377275741541185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-30721653555513828662011-02-14T21:05:13.236-05:002011-02-14T21:05:13.236-05:00Great post, Keely. You had my mind haring off all...Great post, Keely. You had my mind haring off all morning to think of how my Valentine's Dance story would go. Very distracting! And very fun!<br /><br />Merry has an excellent point about voice and theme. I think of them like this:<br /><br />Theme is what you say. <br />Voice is how you say it.<br /><br />What say you?Nichole Christoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09799006710672537142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-29232386052131556662011-02-14T19:32:21.567-05:002011-02-14T19:32:21.567-05:00Fun post, Keely. Lots to think about. I love your ...Fun post, Keely. Lots to think about. I love your twist on the scenario and what your fav authors would do with it. And stop pulling out the Algebra. It makes my head hurt. ;0)<br /><br />Seriously, though, those themes go back to our own core stories, which are totally hardwired into our voice and the choices we make when we write. Fun stuff.Mackenzie Lucashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00508204115833993481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-80649175790285314862011-02-14T11:20:04.725-05:002011-02-14T11:20:04.725-05:00Merry - good point about voice and theme - I think...Merry - good point about voice and theme - I think they definitely overlap - but two authors could have the same theme (say like yours "strangers in a strange land") and still approach them in their own unique way. So is that voice = theme + x, y, and z?Keely Thrallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05656529091898492453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5115759973832197426.post-29072085031923024172011-02-14T11:03:42.457-05:002011-02-14T11:03:42.457-05:00Great post, Keely! Really makes you think about vo...Great post, Keely! Really makes you think about voice, what it is and what your readers might (hopefully) come to expect after reading a number of your books. What you describe, though, is close to theme, no? <br /> My voice and theme would run along the lines that at least one of my protagonists would be from another place. They wouldn't be accepted easily by all, but the other protag. (hero or heroine) would love them anyway, just for who they are.Merryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17210338521714728954noreply@blogger.com