Unit 1 Voice Challenge by Liv Przydzial

Unit 1 Voice Challenge

by Liv Przydzial

In Unit 1, our class discussed how to dissect and analyze an author's structure and diction. One of the key topics we learned about was voice, and we did several exercises aimed at helping us develop our very own voices as young authors. In my December blog post, I just wanted to play around with different voices portrayed through my writing to challenge myself a bit, as exhibited below:

Example 1

Everyone was looking at me. I mean, how could they not? With my perfect bod, sparkling dress, long curled hair (each curl with the perfect level of bounce, of course), and manicured nails, it's visibly hard for people to take their eyes off of me. I was stunning. As amazing and gorgeous I looked, my science project was even cooler. Not only was my volcano oozing with lava at the perfect consistency, but it was also bubbling! As soon as they turned the lights out, everyone's socks would be knocked off by how the lava glows in the dark. I know, I'd be speechless too. God, I should be in college already! They should've engraved my name into the first place trophy for this year's science fair as soon as they saw my name on the sign-up sheet.

In this first example, the reader can experience the cocky, matter-of-fact nature of the character through the first person point of view. Through questions such as, 'I mean how could they not?', and statements such as, 'God, I should be in college already!', the author's voice clearly conveys the character's cocky nature.

Example 2: 

September 21, 2067: 

I can't write much. No time. 

It's been 5 years.
I don't know how we haven't died yet. By we, I mean me and my sister. 
Every1 else - long dead.
Food's running out. Window's cracked. Water's tainted.
We'll only last a month or so, if even. 

But Shaya's started coughing. 

September 25, 2067:

Shaya's dead.
No water. No food.

I'll be dead by morning.

This example consists of two dark, gloomy diary entries. The choppy sentences create a more dramatic aura by being very to-the-point. Through the use of short phrases, the reader gets the idea that the character was in a rush, and gains an understanding of the dire nature of the situation. The character who wrote these entries clearly takes a very realistic, down-to-earth view on her circumstances, as conveyed when she made a prediction for how long she and Shaya would last and in the second entry with the statement, "I'll be dead by morning.' She doesn't make any hopeful remarks but rather just accepts her situation, as can be seen by how she stopped writing after making the conclusion that she would be dead by morning.