Where voice comes from by Jane Clarke
People speak about picture book writer having a 'voice.' It's a tricky thing to pin down. The voice of the writer helps create the tone and the mood of the book - but a huge part of that is down to the illustrator. If the writer's text gets taken for publication, a good editor will match the voice of the writer with an illustrators voice, so that both voices complement one another.
For me, voice is what comes naturally - my writer's voice is a reflection of the way I speak. In my head, my characters talk, I try to make their voices distinct, but they are part of my life experience. I can identify three main sources of my picture book writing voice:
The voice of the child...
in me
I shared everything with my dog and my sons' voices when they were small.
The parental voice
I can still hear my mum and dad's' voices
I was an only child ( my dog was my brother) and had a brilliantly happy childhood.
and the voices of the parents my late husband and I were to our sons
Always ready to catch!
Then there's the voices of pets, and there's been a lot of them over the years - from stick insects, snakes, bearded dragons, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits to cats and dogs.
Bramble was particularly expressive!
Recently, I've found a fourth voice is creeping into my writing - my grandparental voice, acquired with the arrival of 4 granddaughters in 3 years.
And as my granddaughters get older, I'll be excited to add their voices to my voice, too!
On the few occasions when I've tried to modify my voice, for example as follow-up writer on a ghost-written series, I've found it really difficult When I use my voice writing picture books, the texts feel like a part of me. I guess that's what makes it so hard when they get rejected!
Where does your writing or illustrating voice come from?
Jane's most recent picture book, Firefly Home, glimmeringly illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, published in the UK, 11 January 2018 - and all of her voices are in it :-)
Very special to Jane who watched fireflies with her sons and their families when they shared a holiday at Lake Lure, NC.
For me, voice is what comes naturally - my writer's voice is a reflection of the way I speak. In my head, my characters talk, I try to make their voices distinct, but they are part of my life experience. I can identify three main sources of my picture book writing voice:
The voice of the child...
in me
I shared everything with my dog and my sons' voices when they were small.
The parental voice
I can still hear my mum and dad's' voices
I was an only child ( my dog was my brother) and had a brilliantly happy childhood.and the voices of the parents my late husband and I were to our sons
Always ready to catch!Then there's the voices of pets, and there's been a lot of them over the years - from stick insects, snakes, bearded dragons, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits to cats and dogs.
Bramble was particularly expressive!Recently, I've found a fourth voice is creeping into my writing - my grandparental voice, acquired with the arrival of 4 granddaughters in 3 years.
And as my granddaughters get older, I'll be excited to add their voices to my voice, too!
On the few occasions when I've tried to modify my voice, for example as follow-up writer on a ghost-written series, I've found it really difficult When I use my voice writing picture books, the texts feel like a part of me. I guess that's what makes it so hard when they get rejected!
Where does your writing or illustrating voice come from?
Jane's most recent picture book, Firefly Home, glimmeringly illustrated by Britta Teckentrup, published in the UK, 11 January 2018 - and all of her voices are in it :-)
Very special to Jane who watched fireflies with her sons and their families when they shared a holiday at Lake Lure, NC.
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