JordanDane
@JordanDane

Not to scale

I’ll tell you a little secret. Come closer so I can whisper it in your ear. I write about friends, relatives and my pets and immortalize them in my books. There, I said it. At first I did it because it was my little joke with my family. When I had a minor character, I would make them someone I knew and they came alive in my mind. Often I gave them speaking parts or sometimes they were the voices of annoying relatives on the answering machine of my characters.

The fun part is that for my relatives, I never tell them I’m doing it. They often find out as their reading my latest. I love hearing their reactions.
Any pet mentioned in my books is one of mine or a pet of my family. Since it’s fiction, I can make them well-behaved.

In my first YA, I let my mind wander to find the voice of my main character Brenna Nash. I have twin sisters who inherited the odd toes of my dad’s side of the family. (My mom is quick to point out that all her family has lovely feet, so this trait must’ve come from dad.) Their middle toes jut out and look a bit obscene. My niece inherited her mother’s toes and since I had my young niece in mind—and made her a minor character in my debut YA book IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS—I HAD to write about her “secret” toes.

Here’s the passage:

I sleep with the dead.

I don’t remember the first time I did it and I try not to think about why. It’s just something I do. And my fascination with the dead has become part of me, like the way my middle toes jut out. They make my feet look like they’re shooting the finger twenty-four seven. My ‘screw you’ toes are my best feature, but that doesn’t mean I brag about them. Those babies are kept under wraps—just for my entertainment—the same way I now keep my habit of sleeping in cemeteries a secret from anyone. Not even my mother knows I sneak out at night sometimes to curl up with the headstones … and the stillness. Some things are best left unsaid.

In the arms of stone angels, I’m not afraid.

In one of my Sweet Justice series books (which shall remain nameless since I don’t want to be a spoiler), I wrote two characters and gave them fictitious names, but they were my crazy parents. All their strange idiosyncrasies—my dad’s hoarder tendencies and my mother’s love of ginger snap cookies—became a part of the story line and made me laugh til I cried. When I read the passages to my brother, I didn’t tell him who the characters were supposed to be, but he knew and roared with laughter. Now my parents very proudly tell people, “We’re spies in this book.” Well, thanks mom and dad, for telegraphing a twist in the book. But writing them into my novel was a decision I will never regret.

It’s one thing to “see” and “hear” a fictional character vividly in your head so that they feel alive to you, but it’s quite another sensation to already have that character in your mind from years of knowing them. A word of caution: you can get carried away and let the character take over more of the scene than you intended, simply because you want them to play a bigger part. But written judiciously, you can have fun with it and make a more layered character in a short amount of time because you already know them.

Discussion:
1.) Have you ever used a real person as a character in your books? Who was it? Tell us about how you did it and if they found out, what was their reaction?
2.) Has doing this ever backfired on you?

The Last Victim – When he sleeps, the hunt begins.

Available for preorder through Amazon Kindle at this LINK.

Jordan Dane
@JordanDane

(Surprise! I made a switch of a post date with James Scott Bell. He took my Thursday, July 16, and I swapped him for his usual Sunday. Who can say “No” to Jim, seriously?)

I made the change from crime fiction thrillers to young adult (and back) because I had a niece who wanted to be a writer and I included her in on my process while I wrote my first YA – IN THE ARMS OF STONE ANGELS (Harlequin Teen). We had fun together. I flew her from Texas and we spent a long weekend visiting the locals sights I wanted to use for the story, taking photos. I also worked with her to come up with character images and names and we plotted the first 8 chapters.

The sixteen year old character (Brenna Nash) had been born in my head while I wrote the Prologue. It should have felt like a drastic change in voice (from adult to teen), yet I made the leap with only one real foundation in crime fiction to connect my stories. I had deliberately chosen to make my first YA a cold case mystery so I could tie into my reader base. I didn’t analyze this change in genre, but I’ve been thinking of VOICE lately and wanted to break it down.

If you are a new author trying to find your way, or a more experienced writer who would like to venture into a new genre, I hope this post gets you thinking.

Keys Ways to Establish Your Own Voice Yet Stay Flexible Across Genres

1.) Ask Yourself: What is my natural voice? Answer this question on your own, but then ask those closest to you how they see you. Are you naturally cynical? Are you great with the one liners? Or are you quieter with good timing for well-timed jabs?

Exercise: Describe Yourself in Three Adjectives (Snarky, Fun, Flirty) Then ask: Is this how I talk?

2.) What books have you enjoyed in the genre you are interested in writing? I’m not just talking about reading a book and liking it. I’m suggesting you analyze exactly why you liked it. I’m talking notes in the margins and highlighted lines of dialogue or imagery you liked. Understanding your taste will help you define what comes naturally to you. You are drawn to author voices you like and hope to write yourself.

Exercise: Picture your ideal reader. If you can describe him or her, then write to your reader as if you were one on one. Does this make your voice easier to develop?

3.) Can you hear the central character in your head? Can you resist censoring him or her? I call this “free association.” It’s as if the character is telling you his story and you’re the scribe. Throw everything onto the page without filter and you might stumble onto your next book.

Exercise: Take a pen and paper and free write without censorship. Go bonkers. When you’re done, ask yourself – Do I write like this? Is this more natural than what I’m writing now? I’m convinced you must enjoy what you’re doing, otherwise it’s too much like work.

4.) Can you trust your instincts to get it right? When I’m working out a character, I resist getting feedback from anyone else. I want to feel sure about the character before I open myself up to criticism or get input from a committee of beta readers. Trust your gut. It’s your story.

Exercise: Answer these questions: Is my writing something I would read? What’s on my shelves? Am I forcing my voice?

5.) Don’t push your instincts into an area of voice that does not feel completely comfortable to you. I like writing when I’m slightly off balance and unsure, but I know my boundaries. I couldn’t write Chicklit for example. Not a whole novel, for sure. Plus my sense of humor runs more subtle so I’m not likely to try slapstick weirdness for a whole book either. Even if you’re a risk taker, I feel strongly that there are limits and we must determine what those are to make any adjustment to voice that has any hope of being successful.

Exercise: Am I enjoying what I’m writing? Does it feel like work or fun? Unless I’m writing something that comes naturally, it can seem like drudgery. Remember this is your passion and it should be fun.

Even when I ventured into YA, I still wrote about loners, the quietly brave hero, the cynical character, the well timed one liners, and the brooding male. I created my teen characters to be unique to the story line, yet my world building and character voices were consistent with my comfort zone. I read many many YA books before I wrote the genre. I wanted to write about smart and unique characters who knew how to tread through life alone if they had to, the kid who could be shadows that most people don’t notice until these kids rise up to become heroes. Those are the kinds of books I like to read and write.

So what about you? How did you develop your author voice? Any new tips to add?