[Writer Post] Behold the Power of Voice
New writers hear a lot about “voice” when they’re learning their craft. And while that is important… I’m going to talk about the more traditional voice and how that can shape characters and fandom. I’m a huge fan of certain voices because they’re distinctive – and even iconic. I blame a radio background – I grew up in radio stations in my formative years.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’m a Big Ole FanGirl. I am. But I tend toward the “non-traditional” fangirl leanings. I’ve mentioned my love of sidekicks and character actors before. I love them because they bring the lighter sides to a lot of fandoms – and they have more leeway to do stuff. They also have the cooler voices…don’t ask me why.
DeForest Kelly had his drawl and delivery that was way hotter than Shatner’s overly dramatic pauses. Karl Urban reproduced those vocal traits admirably – though I could totally listen to his native Australian accent ALL DAY LONG. Dwight Schultz‘s HM Murdock was fantastic because Dwight could pull off the insanity of doing different voices.
That’s background. But there are those fangirl moments I’ve had based solely on the sound of a voice. No one should have ever had a fangirl crush on Darth Vader – but I did because of James Earl Jones’s iconic voice. Fellow author, Shanna Swendson, and I both agree on our love of Keith David. I first heard his deep rumble on Gargoyles, but now his voice is one of the few reasons the Military Channel has more female viewers than marketing demographics generally account for. Both gentlemen could read a phonebook, and I would listen to it.
I LOVED the original Optimus Prime voice in the mid-1980s. Peter Cullen has a pretty voice. Thank you, Michael Bay, for bringing Peter Cullen back as Optimus Prime in the movies. Though I haven’t seen the first two, I did see Transformers: Dark of the Moon and got more out of the vocal casting of Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) and Leonard Nimoy (Sentinel Prime) than much of the “human” actors.
What does this have to do with writing? It helps with writing dialog. If you can hear a voice saying the words (and not just your mental voice), then you know a “real” person would say what you’ve written. That’s where fanfiction or media tie-in can be beneficial. If you write a story that has readers saying, I totally heard “x” in my head when I read this, then you’re doing it right. By “casting” your book/story with actors gives you the ability to see and hear how a character might do something – which can make your story more “real” to the reader.