Author's Voice

#1
Recently I've began writing a story with multiple main characters(in other words I have no main character), and some of my characters have morals and/or ideologies that vastly differ from each other. Now the issue that I have is with the author's voice(as the tittle implies). Naturally I'm writing from third person perspective. 

So I have two options presented to me; I could keep the narrator in one consistent tone throughout the story, or should I mix and match up to the character that I'm writing about at the moment. I would just like some opinions from... well not me. Oh and please state your reasoning.

Thx! =)

RE: Author's Voice

#2
Is it third person omniscient?
If it is, then yes, you have to change the tone of the narration based on who's pov you are showing at the time. We are supposed to hitch a ride in their head, and experience what that person experiences and perceives.
If you are having a narrator, then the reader is nothing but an observer of the events. (think game of trones), and the characters pov has to be shown trough actions and dialoge.
Third person Omniscient permits you to tell, rather than show, and can drive the action forward faster, while the narrator perspective let's you slow down the pace, but make better use of the readers imagination and reasoning skills.
My fiction

Cheers!

RE: Author's Voice

#4
I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.
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RE: Author's Voice

#5
'SJ Reaver' pid='830084' dateline='1510966268' Wrote: I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.

I'd personally split it into separate stories when the 2 mc's aren't interacting anyway til much later.
I'd also prefer reading it that way, but it's bad for climbing up the rating ladder and get more exposure, So I can understand not wanting to do it my way.


'SJ Reaver' pid='830084' dateline='1510966268' Wrote: I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.

I'd personally split it into separate stories when the 2 mc's aren't interacting anyway til much later.
I'd also prefer reading it that way, but it's bad for climbing up the rating ladder and get more exposure, So I can understand not wanting to do it my way.
My fiction

Cheers!

RE: Author's Voice

#6
'Antice' pid='830085' dateline='1510966707' Wrote:
'SJ Reaver' pid='830084' dateline='1510966268' Wrote: I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.

I'd personally split it into separate stories when the 2 mc's aren't interacting anyway til much later.
I'd also prefer reading it that way, but it's bad for climbing up the rating ladder and get more exposure, So I can understand not wanting to do it my way.


'SJ Reaver' pid='830084' dateline='1510966268' Wrote: I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.

I'd personally split it into separate stories when the 2 mc's aren't interacting anyway til much later.
I'd also prefer reading it that way, but it's bad for climbing up the rating ladder and get more exposure, So I can understand not wanting to do it my way.

The thing is I got a whole lot of character's perspective that I wanna try out. I'm not talking about 2 or 3. I'm talking like half a dozen or so. That's why I'm saying that there's no main character per say because well I'm not focusing on few individuals to begin with. Also I might even go to work with some side characters.

The whole point of writing this story for me is to get good with character development, and writing in general. 

Also rather than say a big story that features several main character, its more like a series of short-ish stories bundled up into one story. Heck the only reason I'm fitting it into an individual story is because these main characters will come into contact with each other. Though character roles depend mostly from the character that I'll be writing about in that instance.

Now the thing is I've already started the first two chapters of the story, but I decided to put it on hold. One issue is that I I'm not good with introductions(or writing in general), but the main issue that I have is... well perspective. Cause after I've moved on to the third chapter I'm changing to another characters perspective, and hell they are two very different characters.

Regardless, thx. I admit your idea has gone through my mind before, as well... it makes sense. However, it just doesn't in this particular example. Though I would like to apologize, as it is my fault for not explaining it more thoroughly.


'SJ Reaver' pid='830084' dateline='1510966268' Wrote: I'd keep the voice consistent throughout. Hopping from voice to voice can be tiring for the reader and can easily come off as the author trying to get style points.

Also, altering the narrative voice in a third-person, multiple viewpoint story would slow down my writing.

Yea, I think you misunderstood what I mean't by multiple perspectives. Though I blame myself for being so obscure, and I would first like to apologize for not making it clearer.

First of all I'm writing third person omniscient.

Second of all I'm trying to match the authors voice to how the character would think(their personality).
 
Third of all each event will only be told through only one character's perspective, also there's time skips(some short, some long, and sometimes there are none) in between each event. Think of my story as a series of short stories, or simply episodes if you will. Though, it'll take a series of chapters to be actually equivalent to one episode, as I am a newbie writer and I'm still not quite good at writing.

RE: Author's Voice

#7
The discussion has been good to have regardless of what you end up doing, so no apologies needed.
As for you particular idea, with a deep and varied cast that may or may not interact depending on circumstance you could do like it's done in the hammers slammer series by David Drake. if you've read some of it, you will know that it isn't a series as much as collections of short stories with a common theme. Kinda like what you are talking about.
Reuse characters that you end up liking, and kill off or drop with a happily ever after or something those you feel aren't going to cut it anymore. it's a very free form of writing.
Third person omni is perfect for this, it lets you show events from whatever character you have your focus on at that time.

As for changing the narrators tone. I dunno. it depends on how deeply into the mind of your active character you want us to be.
I know some authors keep the narrator consistent on anything that is objective, and then let the thoughts of the character in focus tell us how he/she feels about things.
My fiction

Cheers!

RE: Author's Voice

#8
'Antice' pid='830093' dateline='1510978440' Wrote: The discussion has been good to have regardless of what you end up doing, so no apologies needed.
As for you particular idea, with a deep and varied cast that may or may not interact depending on circumstance you could do like it's done in the hammers slammer series by David Drake. if you've read some of it, you will know that it isn't a series as much as collections of short stories with a common theme. Kinda like what you are talking about.
Reuse characters that you end up liking, and kill off or drop with a happily ever after or something those you feel aren't going to cut it anymore. it's a very free form of writing.
Third person omni is perfect for this, it lets you show events from whatever character you have your focus on at that time.

As for changing the narrators tone. I dunno. it depends on how deeply into the mind of your active character you want us to be.
I know some authors keep the narrator consistent on anything that is objective, and then let the thoughts of the character in focus tell us how he/she feels about things.

I've never even heard of the "Hammer Slammer Series" before until now. But the way you've described it is exactly what I'm going for, though after some research(wikipedia) I must disagree a little bit. From what I know(from wiki) Colonel Hammer is a focal character. In my story there literally won't be a focal character. There may be a couple that I'll prefer to use more often, but the story won't revolve around them(lest they be stirring up trouble). I'll also be adding a whole lot of interludes, though I don't count them as interludes. Its essentially slice of life, but with more violence and less life. Oh and also there'll be even less life as the main plot progresses. 
In a sense its even looser than what I feel Hammer Slammer to be. Maybe something alone the lines of Durarara(an anime/manga/light novel).

I know that I've babbled a lot, but I just wanted to clarify a bit cause you seem to have a couple ideas.

RE: Author's Voice

#9
A focal character or topic isn't strictly needed for the format. I use the hammer slammers series as an example, because Drake is very good at some important aspects of writing.
Stuff like making you be sympathetic towards a character after just 4 or 5 paragraphs.
ofc. he is probably good at it since a lot of the stuff he wrote was partly from his own and other vietnam war veterans experiences, and not 100% fiction. The man's likely a good listener, and war veterans have a knack for making you like their lost friends when talking about stuff that happened during their part of the war.
It's just a few things he does really well that I feel one should aspire to learn. especially if one is going for a more authentic looking experience of combat, and the psychological damage killing does to people.

I've always had some good ideas in this genre, but I just can't pull them of even half baked. Makes me a sad puppy, because I'd love to be able to tell the stories I have heard myself trough the years. but those storytellers are dead of old age now, so in a sense it's too late to go visit and be a good listener anymore.

I guess I'm a bit old school. It comes from almost having hit 40 I bet.
My fiction

Cheers!

RE: Author's Voice

#10
'Antice' pid='830107' dateline='1511001388' Wrote: A focal character or topic isn't strictly needed for the format. I use the hammer slammers series as an example, because Drake is very good at some important aspects of writing.
Stuff like making you be sympathetic towards a character after just 4 or 5 paragraphs.
ofc. he is probably good at it since a lot of the stuff he wrote was partly from his own and other vietnam war veterans experiences, and not 100% fiction. The man's likely a good listener, and war veterans have a knack for making you like their lost friends when talking about stuff that happened during their part of the war.
It's just a few things he does really well that I feel one should aspire to learn. especially if one is going for a more authentic looking experience of combat, and the psychological damage killing does to people.

I've always had some good ideas in this genre, but I just can't pull them of even half baked.  Makes me a sad puppy, because I'd love to be able to tell the stories I have heard myself trough the years. but those storytellers are dead of old age now, so in a sense it's too late to go visit and be a good listener anymore.

I guess I'm a bit old school. It comes from almost having hit 40 I bet.

Mr. Drake sounds very like an impressive author.

I probably won't focus too much on the psychological damage on killing people part. I really lack an in depth understanding of the psychological damage killing could do, or death in general for that matter. Also... well, my stories are really short in comparison to normal short stories. I'm more focused on brushing up my own story work(I am a total noob after all).

Huh, I imagined you to be a bit younger.

RE: Author's Voice

#11
I hear that a lot. I just happen to have the same hobbies young people do. There are actually quite a lot of us old timers around the Internets, But we are ofc a rarer species than the new generations of young whippersnappers due to the fact that probably most of us dropped the hobby and became grumpy disillusioned adults that hates their lives instead.

And yeah. Most people don't have the needed experience to write deeply about war fatigue, trauma PTSD etc. And hopefully you young ones never will. I don't have that experience either, and I am probably much better off for it.
My fiction

Cheers!