A couple questions/comments/thoughts on Author Voice

[BWFoster78]

I believe Roald Dahl said it best, "I don't care if a reader hates my story so long as they finish it." The story, A-Z, is only part of what hooks the reader. Tone and Voice is the real taste and metal of the hook.

But if a reader hates your story, will they buy anything else you wrote?

It seems to me, in this marketplace, your best hope for any kind of success is to write so well that the reader, upon completing reading the first thing of yours they come across, not only seeks out something else you wrote but tells others to do the same.

 

[Addison]

But if a reader hates your story, will they buy anything else you wrote?

If they hate your story they would throw it away before the half-way mark. If they finish the story then there's something in there they like so there's a very good chance they'll buy another and pass the word about your work.

 

[BWFoster78]

If they hate your story they would throw it away before the half-way mark. If they finish the story then there's something in there they like so there's a very good chance they'll buy another and pass the word about your work.

Huh?

You put a quote that says: I don't care if a reader hates my story so long as they finish it.

Then, you say that a reader won't finish a story if they hate it.

Are you saying the initial quote is invalid?

 

[Steerpike]

I think given the source (Roald Dahl), the quote is probably meant to be taken with a certain amount of irony. My guess is that if someone finds a book compelling enough to finish, even if they profess to hate it they'll probably get someone else by that author.

 

[Addison]

I must have put incorrect grammar in the second post. The quote is correct. There's more than the plot to pull a reader through the story. But if you don't do a great job or if there's something in it that the reader just doesn't like, then they won't. But the quote, from Roald Dahl, isn't about plot and character...well it is. His quote, in a longer version, says, "I don't care if the reader doesn't like my plot line and story concept as long as they like my voice and tone enough to finish the story."

 

[BWFoster78]

I think given the source (Roald Dahl), the quote is probably meant to be taken with a certain amount of irony. My guess is that if someone finds a book compelling enough to finish, even if they profess to hate it they'll probably get someone else by that author.

I don't know. I've finished multiple books where the writing was decent but I didn't like the storytelling. If I hated the way it made me felt or the way the author handled the ending, I stopped reading that author. I've given up on several, several authors in this manner, sometimes in mid series.

 

[Ankari]

I meant to reply to this thread earlier, but (insert excuse).

What makes up an author's voice?

Tone of the world/setting: Some authors choose to eliminate the uncomfortable elements of living. The darker side of survival, of city life, and of ruler intentions are glazed over to crystalize the main conflict. Some authors introduce this, using it to add to their story. This is related, but not entirely, to the grimdark genre Vs. Black and White mainstream stories.

Musings: I'm a fan of this. Some authors include philosophies and perspectives into the writing. In some cases it's handled poorly, and the author is shoving these ideas down the reader's throat. Other authors are better at applying different ideas to different characters.

Vocabulary: Some authors lace heavy words into their stories, others tend to use everyday language. Purple prose (and whatever the opposite of it is) falls under this category.

Action: There is the duel that lasts half the day, and the fight that is settled in a single blow. This is related to the tone of the world, but can work independently.

Grammar: How does the author use established rules of grammar? Does he use pages of italicised internal dialogue, or not? Does he stick to established forms of dialogue, or does he try something new?

I think an author's voice is a combination of all those elements, and the something extra that I can't put a name to.

Now, I'll read some other posts and try to reply to more current ones.

 

[Trick]

If they hate your story they would throw it away before the half-way mark. If they finish the story then there's something in there they like so there's a very good chance they'll buy another and pass the word about your work.

I prefer, if I'm going to hate the book by the end, to be given a hint before the halfway mark so that I can throw it in the trash before I care too much. The last book that I read that didn't make me want to buy any more by that author lied to me until the very last word. I was so flabbergasted by the incomplete, unfulfilling and useless ending that when I got home, having finished it during my commute, my wife thought something was terribly wrong. Apparently the look on my face said, "I've been utterly let down." And I had. This was an author with good skill, a great voice and the book won awards. When I found there was no sequel I knew I'd never read another of her works.