Voice

Voice is always this really vague concept that authors throw at you. Kind of like voice is something no one know how to harness and no one knows how to explain, but once you find it you'll know. There are a couple of things I've found that I can associate with voice.

Changing cliches to fit how your character would see it: 

This one is from the point of view from a twenty-three year old woman:

My heart is beating so hard I think I might break my bra strap.  -- Paige Torn by: Erynn Mangum

See how she did that? Taking the simple, overused, highly-necessary description of the heart beating when scared and added the breaking-of-the-bra-strap detail to make it fresh and different.

Little details that only your character would notice: 

This is from the same book, same character.

I was watching Flynn Anderson--who had no similarity to Flynn Rider from Tangled--wrestle with our copier. -- Paige Torn by: Erynn Mangum

Not everyone would associate the name Flynn to a movie. It's just the way Paige interprets things.

Take your character's age into mind: 

This is from To Kill a Mockingbird, in which the main character is an eight year old girl:

Mr. Avery was red in the face from a sneezing spell and nearly blew us off the sidewalk when we came up. --To Kill a Mockingbird by: Harper Lee 

The way she said it gave you an idea of her age, considering that she's small and tends to over-exaggerate things. 

Using similes based on events that only in your story: 

This is from To Kill a Mockingbird, too, in which the Radleys are people who never come out of their house:

Every wood door in the neighborhood was shut as tight as the doors of the Radley Place. --To Kill a Mockingbird by: Harper Lee

 This one is referring to a person she thinks is incredibly uninteresting:

This thing has more personality than Peter and his parents combined. -- Paige Torn by: Erynn Mangum

Dialect: 

I asked her why the roads were red and she said she didn't know and for pity's sake, not to ask her anymore questions. -- Anne of Green Gables (the movie)

I imagined how it would be: when it happened, he'd just be sitting in the swing when I came along. "Hidy do, Mr. Arthur," I would say, as if I had said it every afternoon of my life. "Evening, Jean Louise," he would say, as if he had said it every afternoon of my life, "right pretty spell we're having isn't it?" "Yes sir, right pretty" I would say and go on. -- To Kill a Mockingbird by: Harper Lee

Once Upon a Fantasy

I'm working on a new story currently called Once Upon a Fantasy.

Annabelle is worthless. That's the only reason she can come up with for why her life is the way it is. She's never quite healthy. She was formerly abused by her dad who has just been released from prison. She's virtually ignored at home. She's bullied. She has no friends at school.

Her only consolation is the collection of fairy tales she begins to write. It's a way to shove her daily life into a manageable container and keep herself from panic attacks that visit her frequently. It's her lifeline. She keeps it a secret, morphing herself into a princess, her problems into dragons, her life into a fairy world, inventing mythical ways to get her out of where she's at. 

As she begins these stories, someone finally goes out of their way to know her. A boy named Brenden, who claims that he felt as though God told him to talk to her, because all she really needed was someone to care. And although the idea of a loving God appeals to her, it sounds too much like a fairy tale and she knows from personal experiences that fairy tales never come true. 

Although she's never been healthy, after receiving the news of her dad's release from prison, her health rapidly declines, beginning to manifest itself in symptoms that leave her unable to even walk. Doctor after doctor after specialist draw up short in diagnosing her and she begins to wonder what the point is if she's so messed up that even doctors can't figure her out. Where is the god Brenden keeps talking about? 

Finished!

Here's to the memories. These are my souvenirs....I close my eyes and go back in time. I can see you smiling. You're so alive....Nothing lasts forever.     ~Souvenirs by: Switchfoot

 I guess I probably should let you know that I've finished Dawn. This book marked a couple of milestones in my author journey.

1. I officially went insane on this book and talked to the characters. They haunted me and ignored me and got mad at me and talked to me. 
2. At 254 pages and 68,264 words, it's the longest book I've ever written by more than two times. 

My characters came alive and I love them to death. I almost cried killing Chris in the beginning and as much as I enjoyed writing this story, I was tortured along with Ray and Aura. I'm sorry, both of you. I love you, if that helps anything. And I'll miss you. 

View my synopsis here. 

If you're interested in reading it, comment and I'll send it to you. I need help editing. Major help. :) 

Farther along we'll know all about it. Farther along we'll understand why....We'll understand this all by and by.... I wondered why the good man cried, the bad man thrived.      ~ Farther Along by: Josh Garrels