Character Voices

[LisaDawn75]

I've looked back through quite a few pages on this thread to see if there was a topic on this, and I did not see one, so if I missed it, I apologize.

What do you do when you can't find a character's voice? I am trying to write a scene with Jake, and I've never written Jake before as he's not one of my favorite characters. I'm having trouble writing him to sound like him, and I want him to be in canon and to sound as close to the Jake in the books as possible.

So, what do you writers out there do when you have this problem? I've gone ahead and written the scene down, but I do not like the dialogue at all. To me, it does not sound like Jake, so I know it will not sound right to readers either.

Help!!!!

[Lalina]

I don't know how much time you have, but you have the perfect solution sitting right in front of you (or on a bookshelf somewhere! lol) grab BD and read Jake's section, try to hear his voice and emulate his speech and mannerisms. That's what I would do.

On a personal level, I had the same problem when I had to write my villain's POV for TLTJ and he was a major part of the story - Yin to Edward's Yang if you will - and he just was NOT talking to me in the beginning at ALL. I had such a hard time with him that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to write the story since he was so integral to the plot. When I talked to G (my beta) about it, she said something interesting when reading the first draft of his POV, I wasn't giving him incentive to speak to me. I had made him two dimensional because I disliked him so he remained silent. I know that sounds kind of silly but she was right. Once I sat down and fleshed him out more, gave him purpose, if you will, he started talking to me. I didn't like a lot of what he had to SAY and he creeped me right the hell out, but he spoke to me

Anyway, maybe Jake just needs to feel that you want to hear and tell his story in order to become more real to you. Give him purpose, see what happens! And good luck!

[LisaDawn75]

Thanks, guys. Lalina, that does make sense. Personally, Jake is not my favorite character, and it's because in the books, his character is just so...teenagerish, with the attitude, whining, etc. and I know I probably need to go back and re-read either New Moon or BD (Jake's POV), but I just don't enjoy it because of the attitude I pick up from him. Probably because I get enough of it from home from my own kid, lol. So that is probably why Jake isn't talking to me...I don't really want him to.

I am going to have to get over my thing I have against him to do this, obviously, because I can't tell the scene from any other POV, it is between him and one other person, and I'd be in the same boat with the other person, plus it really needs to be in Jake's POV (talk about a run-on).

Sometimes, too, just typing things out on here and seeing it in black and white, then coming back to it helps. I am so glad we have this board here with great people willing to help!

***Off to read some Twilight saga!

[Lalina]

Writers are a weird lot... I tried to explain to my friend how my characters talk to me in my head and she just didn't get it. She thinks I'm being dramatic and really it's just me pretending in my head, but really, it's not! LOL... so If Jake doesn't want to talk to you, there's a reason

Good luck!

[Hibbleton]

Thanks, guys. Lalina, that does make sense. Personally, Jake is not my favorite character, and it's because in the books, his character is just so...teenagerish, with the attitude, whining, etc. and I know I probably need to go back and re-read either New Moon or BD (Jake's POV), but I just don't enjoy it because of the attitude I pick up from him. Probably because I get enough of it from home from my own kid, lol. So that is probably why Jake isn't talking to me...I don't really want him to.

Here ya go, right there might be your answer--think of what you're trying to get across and imagine the words spilling from your kid's mouth (or one of his friends or classmates if the content of the chapter makes that too... *shudder*)

It's like you have your very own sample group at your fingertips to study and help you write dialogue that would be typical of an oh-my-god-my-life-will-end-if-I-don't-get-my-way teenager

[LisaDawn75]

Writers are a weird lot... I tried to explain to my friend how my characters talk to me in my head and she just didn't get it. She thinks I'm being dramatic and really it's just me pretending in my head, but really, it's not! LOL... so If Jake doesn't want to talk to you, there's a reason

Good luck!

Lalina, I never understood what writers meant when they would put something in an author's note about how the characters told them to do something or the characters had taken the story in a different direction. Boy, do I understand now! When I started writing, it was just like Edward and Bella were telling me what they would say and what needed to happen next. It was strange, but now I can't imagine writing any other way. Well, I did try to write something without it and it SUCKED!!!

Thanks, guys. Lalina, that does make sense. Personally, Jake is not my favorite character, and it's because in the books, his character is just so...teenagerish, with the attitude, whining, etc. and I know I probably need to go back and re-read either New Moon or BD (Jake's POV), but I just don't enjoy it because of the attitude I pick up from him. Probably because I get enough of it from home from my own kid, lol. So that is probably why Jake isn't talking to me...I don't really want him to.

Here ya go, right there might be your answer--think of what you're trying to get across and imagine the words spilling from your kid's mouth (or one of his friends or classmates if the content of the chapter makes that too... *shudder*)

It's like you have your very own sample group at your fingertips to study and help you write dialogue that would be typical of an oh-my-god-my-life-will-end-if-I-don't-get-my-way teenager

Hibbleton, I thought of that, lol! I have been thinking, "how would Christopher say this?" I actually watched New Moon tonight and watching the movie and WANTING Jake's POV actually made me more sympatheic toward the character, and I felt like I was able to identify with him more. Now, I don't feel like the movie quite captured all of his character traits, such as the whiny-ass attitude that he cocked after becomiong a werewolf, and I have started reading his POV in BD. I'm finding that by doing this while consciously WANTING his take on things, I'm picking up more on Jake than I ever have.

Maybe this is not a lost cause!