Home
>
Writing
>
Writing Styles for Fiction: Which Voice to Use

Writing Styles for Fiction: Which Voice to Use

I recently set up a website to promote a new suspense novel. Once it started receiving hits I began getting questions about why I chose to write in third person. The truth is, I didn't make a conscious decision to write that way. I just sort of happened and I went with it. As I got through the manuscript, I found that writing in the third person "flowed" better than any other voice since throughout the story I used a lot of dialogue between characters. It just fit. Other people wrote and asked what difference it makes which voice you write in and that's what I'll try to address here.

First of all, choosing which voice to use depends entirely on how you intend to tell your story and how you want your readers to interpret it. You have three choices of voice to choose from. Consider these very basic examples taken from my upcoming book:

First Voice:
"You're welcome to live with your old dad Mathew. My door is always open," I yelled as I got into my car.

Second Voice:
"You're welcome to live with your old dad Mathew. My door is always open," you yelled as you got into your car.

Third Voice:
"You're welcome to live with your old dad Mathew. My door is always open," he yelled as he got into his car.

As you can see from these examples, the voice used gives the reader a feel for who's talking in these situations. There are, of course other scenarios I could have used but this illustrates my point on a very basic level. I use third person almost always in my books and it seems to be the preferred voice for most fiction writing. It can, however get a little complicated. For instance, there are different points of view (POV) of third person.

Third Person Omniscient
The author knows everything about all characters, including all feelings, emotions, thoughts. The author knows it all and can choose to relay all of this info to the reader, or none of it. Using third person omniscient, the author is in complete control to guide the reader and leave no room for interpretation.

Third Person Objective
The author relates to the reader only what can be seen or heard by a character, usually the main character. The reader is left to interpret the feelings and thoughts of the other characters by what they say or do.

Third Person Limited
The author presents the story from the mind of a single character. This is the most common voice in fiction because it lends itself well to many different situations.

What about First and Second Person Voice? I haven't forgotten about those. Lets take a look briefly at Second Person since it is the least likely to be used in fiction writing. Writing using the Second Person POV can be a little irritating to a reader and is not used much anymore. Take a look at this example:

Example: You are going to a movie with a friend. You know your friend doesn't want to see the movie but you stick to your dogged insistence. When you get to the theatre, you see that your friend is utterly frustrated.

Writing in the Second Person POV uses "you" quite a bit and is often used in present tense. I get rather annoyed reading material which is written predominantly in this voice and would think an author would have quite a job holding a readers attention for very long.

Let's take a look at First Person POV. First Person POV uses one of the characters to tell the story. First Person POV uses the "I" voice and can be very powerful as it personalizes the character to the reader.

Example: I was going to a movie with a friend. I knew she didn't want to see the movie but I stuck to my dogged insistence. When we got to theatre, I could see in her face how utterly frustrated she was.

Here you can see the same scenario, but now it is told from the POV of one of the characters. Your readers will identify with the character instead of feeling the urge to defend themselves against your constant telling them how they feel. Be careful when using First Person, however. It limits you to the POV of only one character. Your story can easily become very one-sided or boring.

Okay, how about combining the voices? It can be done, but it takes skill, and should be done with caution. Most writers tend to avoid combining, opting instead to choose a voice early on, and pretty much stick with it throughout the book. Combining can easily confuse both you, while writing, as well as your readers.

When writing fiction, remember to choose a voice and stick with it. Try using each of the three points of view and use the one you feel most comfortable. Combine if you must, but use caution and do it sparingly.

Kenneth R. Eaton writes suspense/thrillers. Visit his website at http://www.eatonbooks.com to get more tips and info concerning fiction writing.

professional maid services Park Ridge ..

In The News:

ShinyHunters claims responsibility for stealing 94GB of Pornhub user data affecting over 200 million records and demands Bitcoin ransom.

ChatGPT 2025 now connects to Apple Music, Canva, Expedia, TripAdvisor and OpenTable through built-in apps that help users create playlists, design graphics and more.

Apple releases emergency patches for two zero-day vulnerabilities actively exploited in attacks. iPhone and iPad users urged to update immediately.

DoorDash launches Zesty, an AI-powered social app that recommends restaurants through conversational search, now testing in San Francisco and New York.

Cybersecurity firm Infoblox reveals that over 90 percent of parked domains now redirect visitors to scams and malware, making simple typos extremely dangerous.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

GPT-5.2 is now live for all ChatGPT users with improved coding, writing and image interpretation, with Kurt Knutsson offering his review.

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.

Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.