On Character Voice

[Chairubplay]

Something that I personally feel sets an interesting, well-crafted prompt or response apart from one that's basic and... well, boring is centred around something called character voice. In short, it's using snippets of your character's particular speech habits in your narration as well as your dialogue, and it serves me very well in writing prompts for characters that I have little experience with, because as long as I can get a feel for how they speak, I'm able to get a feel for how they act.

So what do I mean by this? Here's an example.

Dirk got a bloody nose and wanted to die of embarrassment.

It's functional, it serves our purposes, it's not a bad way to go. But it doesn't show any interest, and it gives us nothing of what Dirk's like as a character. So if we try something like this:

Somewhere, he thinks he heard that in case of a bloody nose, you’re supposed to put your head back, but doing that just makes the wet half-clot slide down the back of his throat in a manner uncomfortably reminiscent of a load. He catches a glimpse of himself in the warped plastic reflection of the vending machine and it’s safe to say the whole ‘gym’ situation has gone completely pear-shaped. The only ways out, as far as he can tell, are ritual suicide or Witness Protection. He’ll have to change his name. He’ll have to remove his tattoos. He’ll have to move to a small town in the middle of Brazil’s rainforests and integrate himself into a tight-knit community of pre-Columbian natives, and sell handcrafts on the side of the road.

(Special thanks to hanka for allowing me to use an excerpt of her gorgeous Dirk prose for this.)

Much better.

Dirk's name isn't mentioned anywhere in this passage, but even without it, you can tell it's Dirk. It just feels very Dirk-ish in how it's presented and the way his metaphors get more convoluted with how he envisions the worst possible scenario. (And of course, the nod to the newest meme taking the fandom by storm helps matters along, too.) You can even get an inkling of who it's meant for based on how the sentences are quick, punchy, and very similar to Dirk's typical efficiency while still retaining that Strider brand recognition in busting out the meandering tangents.

It might not be what's absolutely necessary to the immediate plot, but it does provide insight on the kind of person Dirk is, while at the same time keeping the reader engaged and giving the narration a little extra flair to it. Plus, if your character is the type to enjoy a good ramble, it also helps to tremendously beef up your wordcount if the writing outside your dialogue gets a little long-winded, too. Again, not strictly necessary, but nice for a little ego boost!

To summarize, learning to suss out your character's unique "voice" goes a long way in making your writing for them easier to identify, and it might also help you in figuring out the finer details of their characterization beyond just how they talk. I encourage you to inject a little fun into your narration the next time you try roleplaying and see the difference in how your prose reads. Once you start doing this, you may just find it hard to stop, but it'll have you well on your way to not only becoming a better roleplayer, but a better writer in general!

[skeppsbrott]

This is why I only really feel like I'm ~great~ at Cronus (and maybe Bro). Like, while I'm pretty sure on the actions of my Dirk I'm still having a hard time figuring out how to voice him.

I wanted to dig something up from my Cronus RPs but it's usually so dependant on context so after digging for a bit I kinda gave up.

[Debbie Does Dallas]

this reminds me of something i wrote on a post to describe how eridan can get REALLY poetic with his words

like, this is pretty alright

The puppet master could play his heartstrings like a fiddle, and the song of love that stems from it would fall upon the ears of bystanders, warm like the glow from a firefly’s light.

but to get really into Eridan's over-dramaticness you gotta go the extra mile. he's so extra!!!

A marionette master could play the threads tethered to the edges of his time ticker, standing tall on the grand amphitheater stage while waving the pernambuco wand he wields. The symphonic composition of romance that births from the tremors of his strings would resonate into the undeserving audience and brush their auditory receivers like a subtle warmth from the luminescent syrups of a bulb beetles thorax.

shut up, eridan!!!!!!

[hanka]

it happened. someone thought Chairubplay wrote my excerpt above and wants to rp with him specifically citing that reason. but he didn't write that. i wrote that.

[Chairubplay]

I SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE FACT THAT IT WASN'T MY PROSE!