Rebecca H. Jamison's Blog, page 11

6 Ways to Get Your VOICE On

Before I wrote Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale, I never paid much attention to voice. It was just something that came naturally--the sound of my character's voice in my thoughts. But writing from two different voices forced me to dissect the whole concept of voice. What was voice anyway? And how could I make it so my reader could instantly recognize which character was speaking through her voice?

I've always heard that voice is one of the most important elements of novel-writing. Voice makes your story real. When you have a good voice, your readers feel as if they've entered your characters' world. Voice is something intangible--something you shouldn't think about too much--but in my case, I had to think about it in a tangible way. Here are the tangible elements of voice that I discovered:

1. Style: The most obvious part of voice is style. Do you want your character to speak in a snarky, matter-of-fact style? Or will she speak in a lyrical, poetic style. Will she speak directly to the reader and ask rhetorical questions? Will she use metaphors and similes? Will she use precise, complete sentences, or will she occasionally use sentence fragments? How long will she make her sentences?

To help distinguish the two sisters in my book, I gave one a snarky style and the other a poetic style. One used rhetorical questions; the other didn't. The same went for the use of similes and metaphors--the poetic sister got dibs on almost all of them. The other sister used more precise, technical language.

2. Vocabulary: The vocabulary your character uses will reflect her education, interests, and profession. An artist will describe the world through an artistic lens while a computer programmer may use technical language. Ideally, each character in the book has a unique vocabulary that may include some catch phrases or vocabulary reserved only for him or her.

As I wrote each character, I tried to immerse myself in her world. I searched art books for ways to describe emotions, colors, and facial features. I also browsed the programming shelves at my local bookstore, trying to think like a programmer.

3. Actions: Each character has habits that define her personality. A divorcee may unconsciously rub the finger where she once wore a wedding ring. Someone who's been in a serious accident may avoid driving on the freeway. A construction worker may inspect each building she enters for flaws.  A teacher may have to stop herself from shushing people. All these actions and habits play a part in the voice of a character.

One of my characters tap-danced when she got nervous. As I scattered tap-dance steps throughout the book, they became a way of defining that character's voice. My other character reacted more emotionally and dramatically to events. Her tendency toward drama also became a part of her voice.

4. History: A character's past will also play a part in her voice. This may include past relationships, traumas, and other experiences. If a character has been abused, for example, she may react differently to a sudden movement than one who has always been treated with respect. Her thoughts and reactions depend largely on what has happened to her before.

5. Strengths and Flaws: Every character needs a few strengths and a few flaws. These will also help define her voice. What makes your character special? This could be anything from great business sense or social skills to just being incredibly lucky. On the other hand, what are her weaknesses?  Does she have a bad temper, a mental illness, an addiction to video games? A character's strengths and flaws should pop up again and again throughout the book, not just at the beginning or the end.

6. Interests: Each character notices different things in a scene based on her interests and perspective. A character with an interest in nature will describe the flora and fauna while one who's interested in fashion will notice the clothes people are wearing. Another character may notice food. Still another may notice attractive men. What a character notices and fails to notice says volumes about her.

Trying to further distinguish the two characters in my book, I asked myself what a programmer would want to do on a date. For once, I didn't send her on a date I would have enjoyed. I did the same thing with my artist. My characters' interests governed their vocabulary, their descriptions, and their actions. All these things added together, helped make it so that readers could tell which sister was speaking without looking for their names at the beginning of each chapter.

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface here. I hope what I've learned about voice can help some other writers out there. If you have any advice for me about voice, please leave a comment. Thank you!

Get Your VOICE On

Before I wrote Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale, I never paid much attention to voice. It was just something that came naturally--the sound of my character's voice in my thoughts. But writing from two different voices forced me to dissect the whole concept of voice. What was voice anyway? And how could I make it so my reader could instantly recognize which character was speaking through her voice?

I've always heard that voice is one of the most important elements of novel-writing. Voice makes your story real. When you have a good voice, your readers feel as if they've entered your characters' world. Voice is something intangible--something you shouldn't think about too much--but in my case, I had to think about it in a tangible way. Here are the tangible elements of voice that I discovered:

Style: The most obvious part of voice is style. Do you want your character to speak in a snarky, matter-of-fact style? Or will she speak in a lyrical, poetic style. Will she speak directly to the reader and ask rhetorical questions? Will she use metaphors and similes? Will she use precise, complete sentences, or will she occasionally use sentence fragments? How long will she make her sentences?

To help distinguish the two sisters in my book, I gave one a snarky style and the other a poetic style. One used rhetorical questions; the other didn't. The same went for the use of similes and metaphors--the poetic sister got dibs on almost all of them. The other sister used more precise, technical language.

Vocabulary: The vocabulary your character uses will reflect her education, interests, and profession. An artist will describe the world through an artistic lens while a computer programmer may use technical language. Ideally, each character in the book has a unique vocabulary that may include some catch phrases or vocabulary reserved only for him or her.

As I wrote each character, I tried to immerse myself in her world. I searched art books for ways to describe emotions, colors, and facial features. I also browsed the programming shelves at my local bookstore, trying to think like a programmer.

Actions: Each character has habits that define her personality. A divorcee may unconsciously rub the finger where she once wore a wedding ring. Someone who's been in a serious accident may avoid driving on the freeway. A construction worker may inspect each building she enters for flaws.  A teacher may have to stop herself from shushing people. All these actions and habits play a part in the voice of a character.

One of my characters tap-danced when she got nervous. As I scattered tap-dance steps throughout the book, they became a way of defining that character's voice. My other character reacted more emotionally and dramatically to events. Her tendency toward drama also became a part of her voice.

History: A character's past will also play a part in her voice. This may include past relationships, traumas, and other experiences. If a character has been abused, for example, she may react differently to a sudden movement than one who has always been treated with respect. Her thoughts and reactions depend largely on what has happened to her before.

Strengths and Flaws: Every character needs a few strengths and a few flaws. These will also help define her voice. What makes your character special? This could be anything from great business sense or social skills to just being incredibly lucky. On the other hand, what are her weaknesses?  Does she have a bad temper, a mental illness, an addiction to video games? A character's strengths and flaws should pop up again and again throughout the book, not just at the beginning or the end.

Interests: Each character notices different things in a scene based on her interests and perspective. A character with an interest in nature will describe the flora and fauna while one who's interested in fashion will notice the clothes people are wearing. Another character may notice food. Still another may notice attractive men. What a character notices and fails to notice says volumes about her.

Trying to further distinguish the two characters in my book, I asked myself what a programmer would want to do on a date. For once, I didn't send her on a date I would have enjoyed. I did the same thing with my artist. My characters' interests governed their vocabulary, their descriptions, and their actions. All these things added together, helped make it so that readers could tell which sister was speaking without looking for their names at the beginning of each chapter.

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface here. I hope what I've learned about voice can help some other writers out there. If you have any advice for me about voice, please leave a comment. Thank you!

Spring Summary

So far, it's been a fun and busy spring. 
In April, we got a new laminate floor in the living room, and I've been trying to remind the boys to take off their shoes before coming inside with signs on the door knobs that say "Please remove your shoes before entering." Their reaction was to make the above sign for my room.

Kids are always so creative. My son invented a game with his dinosaurs, using the squares on my rug. My younger kids have been left to themselves a lot lately because the focus has been on the teenagers. My daughter graduated from high school. She was the valedictorian and got a scholarship to her favorite college. We've been busy preparing her for college and attending orientations.



My son, Luke, has developed an interest in metalwork. Don't ask. It freaks me out, but here he is with the 75-pound anvil his dad got him for his birthday. (My husband ordered it by mail on the same week he had a fifty pound shipment of books shipped. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll take it inside when I come home." The mail carrier was not happy, and left the anvil right in front of the door to prove it. I couldn't open the door and had to lift it out of the way. Since my husband is an LDS bishop, we receive a lot of heavy packages, containing books and manuals, most of which I end up somehow heaving into the house. We're not popular with the mail carriers, though.)


I'm making great progress on my goals this year.  This is the goal chart I have on the back of my door. It's been very motivating and includes my weekly goals, my yearly bucket list, and my kids' yearly goals. I also have a goal to write 500 words per day on my new book. It's been hard settling on which book to write next. I finally decided to just write what makes me happy.

As of yesterday, my husband has also jumped into the game of goal-setting. Yay! He added his own paper to my goal collection. (It's the one with the piece of masking tape across the top. He's all about aesthetics.


One of the goals I finally accomplished was helping my two oldest to get summer jobs. That was my goal for last summer, but last summer was just such a mess, it never happened. Luke's having a lot of fun working at a Boy Scout camp. Emily's making good money, but is pretty bored working temporary jobs. Next, I need to help my fourteen-year-old to complete his Eagle project (another goal from last summer.)

Senior Pictures

All those moms who told me my kids' childhoods would go by fast were totally right! But I would clarify that the fastest part was high school. Once they got into high school, time whooshed by! And now my daughter is graduating. Here are some of her senior pictures (all of them by our fabulous friend and photographer, Rachael Nelson.)

A Capitol April

We were fortunate last month to visit my parents in Virginia. I took some time out to visit a few places in Washington DC that I've never visited before. The main character for my next novel is a Congressional Aide, so I just had to see where she would work.  I may be the only American who didn't know this, but Senators do not have offices in the Capitol. Below is a picture of the tunnel that connects the two Senate office buildings. (Also, travel tip: If you're ever in DC, the Dirkson Senate Office Building cafeteria is a great place to eat.)


I think this next picture of us in front of the Capitol is so funny because we all look even taller than normal. Maybe it's because our feet are cut off.


This is my husband and sons in front of the National Museum of Art, which they long ago renamed.


My brother Randy, brought the other kids up for a tour at the same time (only the other kids got to see the dinosaurs.) Ben and Neal were pretty jealous and insisted on cramming themselves into the Prius with the others, so they wouldn't have to ride home on the Metro.


We also took a trip to see the Washington, DC temple, where my husband and I were married. This is the first and only family picture we have in front of this temple. I love it. Just don't look too close. We are all squinting into the sun.


Last but not least, I scouted out the apartment building where my next main character is going to live. It's also the apartment building where Anne from Persuasion: A Latter-day Tale lived. The pool is in the foreground.


While at my parents' house, my son Ben honed his juggling skills with a little help from my brother's friend.

So You Want to Write a Book

People frequently ask for my advice about writing. To me, it's kind of like someone coming up to you and saying, "Can you tell me how to become an electrical engineer?"

There's a lot that goes into being a writer. But I'll condense it down into a few bits of general advice:Write. Write every day. Write a lot. Write when you're happy. Write when you're discouraged. Write when you're busy. Just write. Keep writing until you finish your book. Listen to Lance Larsen if you need more motivation to do this.Read as much as you write. Read the best books you can find. Read non-fiction. Read fiction. Read about fashion, science, art, and anything else that has to do with the characters in your book. Listen to audiobooks if you don't have time to sit around reading.Lots of people are extremely private about their writing. They don't want anyone to read what they wrote. But if you're planning to publish your writing, you'll have to go on to the next steps:Let people read what you wrote. Find people who will be honest and tell you what they think you could improve. Ideally, these people will also be positive enough not to discourage you from ever writing again. Don't be overly sensitive about criticism. The right kind of criticism will make you an awesome writer. (Not all criticism is equal, however; it's important to get more than two or three opinions on your book before you start to change things.)Revise. A lot.Learn as much as you can about writing. Read Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell, Save the Cat by Blake Schneider, and any other writing books that interest you. Subscribe to writing blogs or newsletters. Go to writing conferences near you. Join writing groups in your community or online.Once you've honed your writing skills, it's time to educate yourself about publishing. The best way to learn about publishing is to read writing blogs and attend conferences. In the process of learning, decide on your publishing goals. Do you want to self-publish? Or would you rather have a publisher? If you want to go through a publisher, you'll probably want an agent, which means you'll need to write a query letter to send to agents. If, like me, you publish with a small publisher, you don't necessarily need an agent, but you should educate yourself about publishing contracts before you sign one. 
I feel that it's one of my missions in life to provide clean books for people to read. We need more people writing clean books, so I'm always happy to have others join me in my quest to write more and better books. I wish you the best in your writing journey. I hope you enjoy the writing process as much as I have.
What's your best writing advice?

My Favorite Books

Today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite books. I took a picture of them in the photo. In case you can't read the titles, here they are from top to bottom:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It took me two years to read the unabridged version, and it was worth it. (That was when I had three little kids under the age of five.) I'd recommend an abridged version. It was so much better than the movie.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I read this as a teenager and re-read it a few years ago on a day when I had the flu. It was just as good as I remembered.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Of course.The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Corrie's family hid Jews during the Holocaust and went to a concentration camp because of it. I love her Christian perspective on love, forgiveness, and gratitude.Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. Of course.Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. My mom read this book to my brother and me when we were very young. I love all the versions--TV, picture books, and Christmas stories.Persuasion by Jane Austen. I like it even better than Pride and Prejudice.My Antonia by Willa Cather. This one is hands down the most enjoyable book I read during my undergraduate years as an English Major. I also love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but my copy is in a big fat anthology.Christy by Catherine Marshall. This is the story of a young woman who leaves her cultured life to teach school in the Appalachian Mountains. I love it.I should also add that I consumed a steady diet of L.M. Montgomery books during my teen years. I love Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon.What is your favorite book or books?

Twenty Years

My husband and I were married twenty years ago this April. We celebrated back in February. That's right--we celebrated two months early. March and April were looking way too busy, and my son's Pinewood Derby is scheduled for the day of our anniversary. So we took the opportunity when we could to have our romantic getaway. Probably we'll only have time for a lunch out on our actual anniversary.

Back on our first date twenty years ago, Eric mentioned that his favorite author is James Thurber. He was shocked that I'd never read any of Thurber's stories, especially considering that I'd just started on a master's degree in English. He sat me down and read me the story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." It's the story of a man with a very boring life but a great imagination.

I feel honored that in celebration of our 20th anniversary, Hollywood has remade the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."  (Wink, Wink.) We watched it on our anniversary weekend and loved it. And not just because it's a great movie. (Thank you, Hollywood.) But also because I have become so much like Walter Mitty. Seriously, you guys, I do the zone out thing so much that my husband kept giving me that look during the movie--the look that said, "This guy is totally you." Other authors tell me they zone out too. But my poor husband! I feel very blessed that he has stuck with me.

I remember there were some times at the beginning of our marriage when we were still getting used to each other that I thought, "What was I thinking?" But as Eric and I have grown together, things have gotten better and better. I can't imagine being married to anyone else.

Years ago, someone gave me the following marriage advice: "Lower your expectations." I have to say that I've repeated that phrase in my mind many times over the years. I tend to be a huge perfectionist. I set big goals and generally achieve them. My husband, happily, is just the opposite. He take a laid back approach to life. He balances me out, but sometimes I have tried to impose my perfectionism on him. It never turns out well.

What advice has helped you the most in dealing with other people?

The Parable of the Michelin Tires

Note my tires in background.In celebration of Easter, I wanted to share my own personal parable:

Last fall, I went to the Toyota dealership for an oil change (I had a coupon.) You know how it is when you go to the dealership, they always find about $1000 of things that "you absolutely need to fix about your car." So, I went in there vowing that I wouldn't allow them to fix anything.

As I suspected, after the oil change, the mechanic brought me a long list of things wrong with my car. Among these was that I needed new tires. "Yeah, right," I thought to myself. "My tires aren't that old."

Later, I reviewed the list with my husband. He helped me fix a few things, and then I went on my merry way, driving all over the place on my old tires. They felt just fine to me.

A few weeks later, my husband drove my van in the rain. He came home, telling me I needed new tires. I took his advice with a huge chunk of salt because he'd gotten brand new tires the year before. I told myself he was spoiled and couldn't remember what it was like to drive on normal tires!

A few days later, I drove in the van in the rain, and, for the first time, I saw that maybe the mechanic and my husband were right. My car slipped and slid a little as I changed lanes on wet pavement. But, I told myself that I didn't have time to go to the shop and get new tires. Besides that, I needed to wait for a good deal.

The first snowstorm came early this year. And I got a flat tire on the same day it snowed. I count this as a tender mercy from the Lord because who knows what would have happened if I drove on those old tires in the storm?

The next day, after the snow melted, I drove straight to Costco on my spare. I got all four tires replaced with brand new Michelins. As you may have guessed, when I drove away on the new tires, I felt like I had a whole new car. It was so much easier to drive. I hadn't realized how bad things had gotten.

A few weeks later, as I drove down the freeway during a terrible snowstorm, I felt so happy to have my new Michelins. They kept my family safe and calmed my nerves as we passed accident after accident. What had I been thinking to hold onto those old tires for so long?

Here's the moral of the story: Sometimes we don't realize how much we need to change. Even when a friend, family member, or church leader suggests a new course of action, we resist. We make excuses like "It's too much work," "That's just the way I am," or "I like things the way they are." We may deny the power of the atonement and think that we can never be forgiven--"It's too expensive. No one will pay for my sins."

It's only after we make the change that we see how much we've been missing. Good changes bring us joy, the joy we're meant to feel in this life.

I believe in Christ and in His power to help us change our lives for the better.

Cover Reveal: Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale

I'm pleased to reveal the cover for Sense and Sensibility: A Latter-day Tale, which is due in stores on August 12, 2014. This design may just be my favorite of all my books'. Bonneville Book's cover designer gets extra bonus points for working around the long title and the fact that the book has two main characters.

As you've probably guessed, this book is based on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. That said, it's easily the most twisted of my Latter-day Tales (though not in a bad way, I promise.) Elly, the sensible sister, is a computer programmer, who helped run her father's software company before it failed. Her one goal is to get her family out from under the staggering weight of their business debts. Her sister Maren is a sensitive artist, who struggles to overcome the depression she feels after their father's death.

When the two sisters find out their mom is about to lose her home to foreclosure, Elly takes a job from her ex-boyfriend, the same man who put her family out of business. Things only get more complicated for Elly, however, when she realizes her new employer copied some of his software code from her father. Elly is far too busy for love, especially not with Ethan Ferrero, a man whose desire to serve the military seems to be in direct conflict with her own goal to save her family.
At the same time, Maren seeks professional help for her depression and finds purpose in new goals. Her family finds, though, that depression is a deadly disease, constantly threatening to interrupt their plans for building a new life.
Together, Elly and Maren learn that a mixture of sense and sensibility is the perfect recipe for overcoming their trials. And the perfect recipe for love.
If you'd like to read the first chapter, click here.