tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post2928651155401520161..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: The Voice of Reason - Yeah Right!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-19387011882442895352010-02-15T20:08:07.251-05:002010-02-15T20:08:07.251-05:00Hey, Joelle, You Brave Girl for joining this testo...Hey, Joelle, You Brave Girl for joining this testosterone-laced blog!<br /><br />And what a great topic. To me, voice is something we discover and not learn, something that can influence our writing but we can't entirely mimic. Even what we want to mimic goes through our own filters and takes on our own flavor.<br /><br />Congrats on the release date for Skating Around the Law. It may still seem a long way off, but blink and it'll be here, time goes so fast. I can't wait!Maureen Langhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13749405547159759633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-78070206045594966952010-02-15T11:16:28.438-05:002010-02-15T11:16:28.438-05:00Hi Joelle,
Excellent post. Like many others, voi...Hi Joelle,<br /><br />Excellent post. Like many others, voice keeps me reading and I was going to quote Elmore Leonard but it appears that John already beat me to it. As long as it was said that's all that matters, right? <br /><br />Congratulations on joining this awesome blog and for your release date too.<br /><br />*waves*Pamala Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12823051545160002135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-53966509664155302442010-02-14T22:51:50.119-05:002010-02-14T22:51:50.119-05:00Wow. This is eight or nine times as many comments ...Wow. This is eight or nine times as many comments as DSD usually gets. The message is clear:<br /><br />More boob references.<br /><br />I started out by trying to rip off, er, channel Raymond Chandler. Figured I might as well aim high. Now I try to match the voice with how the story needs, or wants, to be told.<br /><br />You're right about voice, though. It's why I read. Plots are nice, and characters are what help me identify with the story, but let's face it: people don;t re-read books for the plot. It's the voice.<br />I make it a point to re-read something by Chandler, Ed McBain, and Elmore Leonard at least once a year for exactly that reason. I just like how they read.Dana Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350344882342624735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-2608495010995926592010-02-14T21:43:52.120-05:002010-02-14T21:43:52.120-05:00Nancy P and Scarlet - I understand about a voice g...Nancy P and Scarlet - I understand about a voice getting you in trouble. And yet, I love strong voices so I think the troublesome voices are the best kind.<br /><br />Mary and Barbara - I do think more than one style for a writer is possible...and if you are writing noir vs straight mystery or contemporary vs historical, you will have the same voice - just with a different color. Kind of like singing. You always sing with the same voice, but you might alter your color depending on whether you are singing Opera or jazz. <br /><br />Mary R - thanks for dropping by. I'll let you know if I need someone to help me keep the boys in line.<br /><br />Nancy B - I can't wait to read your voice and I hope you like mine when the book comes out. (fingers crossed)<br /><br />Matt - I'll try to enhance my boob references the next time...just for you!Joelle Charbonneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13608552691748018256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-81793632301836986592010-02-14T20:59:31.014-05:002010-02-14T20:59:31.014-05:00Nice post Joelle! I feel like you could have fles...Nice post Joelle! I feel like you could have fleshed out the breast analogy some more. :-)<br /><br />Sorry, the joke was too good to pass up. Seriously though, I love the post. It encourages me to, simply, write. Write for no reason. Write for any reason. Just write. See what comes up.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979642388727636426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-23734582827314655452010-02-14T20:29:27.063-05:002010-02-14T20:29:27.063-05:00Great post, Joelle!
When I first started writing,...Great post, Joelle!<br /><br />When I first started writing, I couldn't read another novel without picking up the author's voice. My writing took on lots of voices--even in the same chapter. I compare it to traveling in Texas or England and coming back sporting a smidge of new vocabulary (and maybe a new accent too.)Suddenly, everyone's "ya'll" and they're "fixin' to" do something. Or it's "cheers" instead of goodbye and, when asked how everything's going, you answer, "It's just lovely." <br /><br />After realizing I couldn't read novels and write them at the same time, I stopped reading for a painful month or so and paid lots of attention to my writing. I read it out loud, too. One day, almost magically, I heard my voice and I've stuck to it! (At least I think so!)<br /><br />Can't wait to read your book and hear your voice!Nancy Kay Bowdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00597537338919901666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-40067103727818506822010-02-14T19:22:26.259-05:002010-02-14T19:22:26.259-05:00I think you're just what they need over there ...I think you're just what they need over there to keep in line!<br /><br />Good going, Joelle!<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-63229055841725311022010-02-14T18:03:09.536-05:002010-02-14T18:03:09.536-05:00Hey, Joelle, dear girl, if those big bad boys don&...Hey, Joelle, dear girl, if those big bad boys don't treat you right, I'll whup up on 'em. Excellent post. I'm Nora Roberts and LaVyrle Spencer with dashes of Debbie Macomber and Linda Lael Miller, of course.<br /><br />Pink Fuzzy Slipper Writer Mama MaryMary Marvellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12015719890476028848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-29778475684925108492010-02-14T15:59:43.068-05:002010-02-14T15:59:43.068-05:00"I think between all of us chicks from today ..."I think between all of us chicks from today we've upped the estrogen quotient by about 100% on DSD:"<br /><br />Nah, they still have Dave and Russell to provide enough.Bryon Quertermoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142740189973184854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-40867665306980656482010-02-14T15:23:45.134-05:002010-02-14T15:23:45.134-05:00I think voice is a combination of mechanical stuff...I think voice is a combination of mechanical stuff -- an author's tendencies in sentence structure, word choice, and so on -- and world view. In other words, what is said, and how. Voice is definitely what draws me to an author's work over and over again.<br /><br />I have two voices -- contemporary (for the paranormals) and historical. The mechanics are quite a bit different, but the world view, although colored a little by history, is much the same. It was harder to find my voice in historical romance because of having read so many books by Georgette Heyer! It's difficult not to channel her when writing Regency.<br /><br />Congrats, Joelle. Looking forward to reading your book this fall... (I'm jealous of you lucky ducks who've already done so.)Barbara Monajemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06740868750916582900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-51962684198793847122010-02-14T14:34:57.335-05:002010-02-14T14:34:57.335-05:00Elmore Leonard has said that it takes a million wo...Elmore Leonard has said that it takes a million words to find your voice.<br /><br />Of course, he also said there's no reason you can't start selling before then.John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-64916360357587233712010-02-14T14:27:09.146-05:002010-02-14T14:27:09.146-05:00Hi Joelle, the only time my voice is really strong...Hi Joelle, the only time my voice is really strong is when I'm yelling.<br />Oh, you meant that voice, I firmly believe that people can have more than one voice. Up and quirky for a contemporary, dark and scary for a mystery, or soft and flowing for that HEA story. <br />So, with the voice I am using today I say, "Great blog sweetie, make us think!"Mary Ricksenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12676306822821614446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-11065197542400372512010-02-14T14:18:22.048-05:002010-02-14T14:18:22.048-05:00Joelle, thanks for introducing me to this kewl sit...Joelle, thanks for introducing me to this kewl site. I hadn't visited before. I will be sure to bookmark it so I can come back. I'm one of those whose voice often gets them in trouble. LOL--hence I lurk behind an alias.<br /><br />ScarletScarlet Pumpernickelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09849018046882951262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-3804886650275164222010-02-14T14:05:14.346-05:002010-02-14T14:05:14.346-05:00Joelle, delighted to read your post....and I love ...Joelle, delighted to read your post....and I love wacky!!McDrollnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-89691043485602968802010-02-14T13:07:42.095-05:002010-02-14T13:07:42.095-05:00Hi Joelle, *waves* I happen to love your voice. (H...Hi Joelle, *waves* I happen to love your voice. (Her book is great-put it on your preorder list.)<br />I think I'm one of those with a voice. It does get you into trouble sometimes. :) Cheers~Nancy J. Parrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10107417252662717576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-16664285304901546382010-02-14T12:30:14.910-05:002010-02-14T12:30:14.910-05:00Hey Debra! Thanks for coming to chat. And I agre...Hey Debra! Thanks for coming to chat. And I agree. Voice is one of those strange parts of writing you can't teach. It is something that comes from you.Joelle Charbonneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13608552691748018256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-13976392231047253452010-02-14T12:27:58.252-05:002010-02-14T12:27:58.252-05:00Deb, Marilyn, Carrie, Nightingale and Beki- Thanks...Deb, Marilyn, Carrie, Nightingale and Beki- Thanks for stopping by! I think between all of us chicks from today we've upped the estrogen quotient by about 100% on DSD:) You guys really do make me feel like one of the cool kids.<br /><br />Bryon - I love dark and violent...I just can't do it. My voice doesn't work when I try. I'm always envious of those who can. The fact that you do both amazes and impresses me!Joelle Charbonneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13608552691748018256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-41045396189542606522010-02-14T12:26:21.122-05:002010-02-14T12:26:21.122-05:00Hey Joelle,
Congrats again on your release date. ...Hey Joelle,<br /><br />Congrats again on your release date. I can't wait to read the whole book.<br /><br />Voice is one of those really tricky things. Sometimes I think either you have it or you don't. Each voice is different. Unique. And so hard to teach and/or learn.Debra St. Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07154130275058459169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-55137323354218041172010-02-14T12:18:00.247-05:002010-02-14T12:18:00.247-05:00Welcome, Joelle. And Thank you for being a wakeup ...Welcome, Joelle. And Thank you for being a wakeup call that I might be losing my way with my voice, getting too dark and too violent with out a real reason. <br /><br />Voice actually came pretty easy to me, it's the plotting that I'm still working on developing even a rudimentary grasp of. Of course that doesn't mean that if you go back through my early stuff you won't find ALOT of Dave Barry and Robert B. Parker sounding prose. <br /><br />So here's to lightening up the dingy hole that is DSD.Bryon Quertermoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142740189973184854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-51713414131703957302010-02-14T11:39:58.738-05:002010-02-14T11:39:58.738-05:00I think you know it's your voice when even you...I think you know it's your voice when even you are surprised at your writing. I love my voice. Took me years to realize that though I don't sound like my favorite writers, I sound like ME and that's a good thing. <br /><br />Good post, Joelle!Bekihttp://wwww.bekikernsadkins.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-85749325003149406602010-02-14T11:11:01.956-05:002010-02-14T11:11:01.956-05:00I wanted to be whoever I was reading at the time--...I wanted to be whoever I was reading at the time--Janis Reams Hudson in the mid-90s, Elizabeth Lowell and Susan Wiggs some years later. I just needed a few years to figure out that I actually skirt toward darker emotions than they do. And I really can't help my historical training. It's not gonna go away. <br /><br />Congrats on sitting at the cool table, Joelle. I feel that way when I hang out with you and Deb :)Carrie Loftyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00589746700484524652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-87373988264297813212010-02-14T10:53:28.250-05:002010-02-14T10:53:28.250-05:00Great article. Some say my voice is strong, other...Great article. Some say my voice is strong, others say the writing doesn't engage them. Ah, the sting of rejection or the hint of praise.Nightingalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08557206288038501578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-5656737527028084472010-02-14T10:47:14.773-05:002010-02-14T10:47:14.773-05:00Thanks for the welcomes. Hey, I might not get kic...Thanks for the welcomes. Hey, I might not get kicked off after all!<br /><br />Steve - Thanks for the gushing! <br /><br />Steve and Chris - I agree that voice is the thing that makes you keep coming back to an author. There are some authors that I still love to read even when the plot isn't up my alley because their voice is compelling.<br /><br />Kathleen - I love the audio clip. Yep...I'm totally bringing the bears with me. Funny that you mention the difficulty with learning to make things up. As an actor and singer, I felt the same way. I was always used to having the lines written down for me and I just created characters around what was already there. I have to admit that I've learned to love creating characters and situations from scratch, but it took a while to allow myself to just relax and let my imagination roam free.<br /><br />John - I'm going to have to use more boob comparisions in the future...maybe it'll sell books:)Joelle Charbonneauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13608552691748018256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-64063697310112251232010-02-14T10:39:46.225-05:002010-02-14T10:39:46.225-05:00Joelle, I love reading about voice because it'...Joelle, I love reading about voice because it's THE thing that makes me want to read (or keep reading) an author. A cool plot might be the reason I check out the first few pages of a novel, but the voice is why I buy the book. I love the self-assured voices of Janet Evanovich, Nick Hornby and Susan Elizabeth Phillips--I know when I read their work that I'm in the presence of an author comfortable with his/her own style. And I JUST saw that you have a release day--CONGRATS!!Marilyn Branthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05303846770348840645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-33062492455128152812010-02-14T10:35:56.984-05:002010-02-14T10:35:56.984-05:00First book I wrote was nearly all dialogue - more ...First book I wrote was nearly all dialogue - more of a screenplay than a novel. Second book - tried out first person pov (and then ended up rewriting it in third). Three was the lucky number for figuring out the voice thing. <br /><br />Wacky is good! Can't wait for the release of SKATING AROUND THE LAW!<br /><br />Deb G.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com