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Recently Ultimate Sportsfan and I were driving to a Christmas party and listening to the radio. In Houston, there’s a station that plays all Christmas songs from Thanksgiving until Christmas day. Every time a new song came on USF would say, “who sings this?” It became a game for us to guess the artist.
Amazingly, we were pretty accurate, especially considering that everyone from Gloria Estefan to Rod Stewart seem to have recorded Christmas songs. Of course, Rod Stewart, Gloria Estefan, Neil Diamond, and Carly Simon have very distinctive voices. They may not all have pretty voices, but you know ‘em when you hear ‘em.
I started thinking that successful singers and published authors have a lot in common. Let’s say you had three new releases by your favorite authors. If you didn’t know which was which, and you read just one page, I have a feeling you’d be 100% accurate at identifying each author.
I did this once in a workshop I gave. I had the class read an excerpt from Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Janet Evanovich. Almost everyone in the workshop accurately identified which passage was written by which author. Many of them hadn’t even read the book from which I’d taken the excerpt.
That’s why it’s so important, aspiring authors, to develop your own voice. It doesn’t have to be a pretty voice. Don’t expect everyone to like it. In fact, it’s probably good if a few people hate it. You want your voice to impact people—to cause a reaction. You don’t want a bland voice no one will remember.
How do you develop your own voice? Write. A lot. Have other people read your writing and tell you what you do well. Work on those aspects of your voice and fine tune them. Write until you are so comfortable in your voice that writing is easier than speaking.
So who has your favorite voice—author or singer? Why?
Filed in: Writers and Writing
Dec 28th
2006
11:14 am
brownone Said:
Some of my favorites for authors are :
Brenda Joyce, Lisa Kleypas, Jenna Peterson, Cheryl Holt
Favorite singers: Axl Rose (Sorry, never got over it), Nora Jones, Fergie (she’s a chameleon), and Gwen Stefani. (I’ll admit to liking Michael Buble)
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Dec 28th
2006
11:30 am
Shana Said:
I can’t say I like Axl Rose, but he has a very distinctive voice. I do like Nora Jones, and she, too, is easily recognizable.
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Dec 28th
2006
11:55 am
Julie Said:
I think Karen Ranney has a distinct writing style, she’s also one of my favorite authors for that reason. I also think that Suzanne Enoch has a distinct writing style, as well. Again, she’s one of my favorite authors. Those are just two that came to mind right away. Ironically, I just got done reading MIDNIGHT EYES by debut author Sarah Brophy and she reminds me A LOT of Karen Ranney. Also, the first time I read Shana Galen, I thought she reminded me a alot of Suzanne Enoch!
I happen to be a big Rod Stewart fan and everyone knows when one of his songs are played! I’ve also been into James Blunt, and his voice is really distinct, too.
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Dec 28th
2006
12:55 pm
Shana Said:
James Blunt does have a distinct voice.
You know, I’ve had several readers and a reviewer or two tell me my voice is a lot like Suzie E’s. Until this summer, I’d never read anything by her. But I love her voice, so it’s a compliment.
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Dec 28th
2006
2:08 pm
Clarisse Said:
I have to say the photo in this blog is hysterical. I’ve had a few singing dogs before but never one who seemed so “into” the process. As to voice, I think Mary Reed McCall has a really distinctive voice and a special quality of setting a time period in a book. Outside of romance, I was a total fan girl for Elizabeth George and her wonderful English mysteries (Tommy Lynley is a definite romance hero). Jacquie D’Alessandro and Anne Mallory are two writers whose “voices” always make me want to smile (they make me think of champagne). And then there is the glorious Teresa Medeiros who I think has the most distinctive voice of all – one that carries through a lot of different time periods and types of stories but is always consistent.
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Dec 28th
2006
2:21 pm
Shana Said:
Glad you like the photo, Clarisse!
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Dec 28th
2006
2:29 pm
Lois Said:
THe one person who’s voice I loooooove (neither author or singer) is Sean Connery. Sigh. . . one of the reasons why I love the guy!!!!!!
Lois
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Dec 28th
2006
3:32 pm
Estella Said:
Nora Roberts.
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Dec 28th
2006
6:16 pm
Jenna Petersen Said:
Woohoo! Thanks brownone (and no I haven’t forgotten you, still waiting for author copies. If I don’t get them by the first of the year, I’ll go buy a copy and autograph it and send it LOL).
I think Lisa Kleypas has a very distinctive voice.
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Dec 28th
2006
8:32 pm
Robyn DeHart Said:
Stephanie Bond has a very distinct voice as does Mary Balogh and Suz Brockmann, oh and Eloisa James.
This was a great explanation of voice, Shana, I’ve always seen it with art, myself. Van Gogh has one of my favorite “voices” in the art world.
As for singers, Martina McBride, Clay Aiken, Josh Groban, Eva Cassidy, and Melissa Etheridge are among my favorite singing voices.
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Dec 28th
2006
9:18 pm
Clarisse Said:
Robyn, I don’t think there are three people in a hundred who know about the divine late Eva Cassidy. I also second Josh Groban and would add Beth Nielsen whose voice always brings me to tears. And for a voice that is immediately distinctive, you can’t beat James Taylor.
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Dec 28th
2006
10:10 pm
Robyn DeHart Said:
Clarisse, The Professor turned me on to her when we first starting dating and we even had one of her songs sung at our wedding. But I agree, it’s sad that more people don’t know about her b/c she was such an amazing talent.
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Dec 28th
2006
11:30 pm
Rainy Said:
Love the ethereal quality of Sara McLaughlin.
But with singers or authors, I have a mixed bag of voices I like. I try to vary what I read and listen to, otherwise I might become lopsided.
One of my all time favorite writers is Anne Tyler (her most famous book might be The Accidental Tourist). Besides being an excellent writer, there is something in her stories that hits me in my solar plex or whereever the center of my spirit is. So often I find bits of myself in her offbeat characters.
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Dec 28th
2006
11:55 pm
Tawna Said:
I like the voices of Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, George Strait and Waylon & Willie. I’m not much on country music, but I love the masculinity in their voices.
She’s my cousin, so it sounds prejudiced, but I like the voices best in books written by Shirley Karr. I feel like a part of the characters rather than an observer. Their voices give distinct personalities that invite me to become a part of their lives.
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Dec 28th
2006
11:59 pm
Tawna Said:
I enjoyed the picture of you and your singing dog. My brother has a singing dog that sings in front of his church congregation.
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Dec 29th
2006
9:49 am
Shana Said:
Tawna, that’s not me in the picture, but I’m fascinated by this dog that sings at church. Does he do Amazing Grace?
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Dec 29th
2006
11:25 am
AndreaW Said:
I have so many favorite author voices to name them all. I love them all because they are each distinct and different from the other. All of the JQ ladies are included.
As far as singers, Celine Dion is a favorite of mine as well as Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and Josh Turner.
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Dec 29th
2006
2:13 pm
Shirley Karr Said:
Nope, Tawna’s not prejudiced. Not at all.
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Jul 20th
2010
8:39 pm
Mohammed Hughes Said:
Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine are really great, i love their music on the old days.~*’
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Sep 6th
2010
1:20 am
Samantha Thomas Said:
i really miss the 80s music with Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine;.`
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Oct 11th
2010
10:21 pm
Driving Lights ` Said:
Gloria Stefan and the Miami Sound Machine is classic but they do make great music”;,
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Oct 23rd
2010
8:51 am
Metal Railings : Said:
i love the 80′s music and Gloria Estefan is one of the reasons why i love the 80′s music~*”
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Dec 13th
2010
1:26 pm
Air Purifier Said:
in the 80s, the best singer is of course Gloria Estefan. she has that unique sounding voice `.:
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