Snark

Before I actually start talking about today’s subject, I have to say that I find the word “snark” really odd looking. It’s like sound you make when you’re blowing your nose.

I…I think weird thoughts sometimes.

Anyway, snark. In particular, snarky characters. In even more particular, snarky teenage protagonists. Although I can’t think of any off hand, I’ve heard this is a common trait for YA main characters and it’s both overdone and uninteresting. This of course ties my insides into a knot because I have a snarky MC.

I can understand why people might be turned off by yet another sarcastic MC, especially in the first person point of view. The thought is that the snarky voice is used so much because it’s an easy way to sound like a teenager when in reality you’re in your thirties and have three children under the age of eight.

But for me, it wasn’t about trying to sound like a teenager. My character’s sarcastic because, as anyone who has read any of my blog posts knows, I’msarcastic. Shades of snark show up in all my characters, especially my main characters, and not just the YA ones either. For me, part of crafting voice is using my own way of talking and thinking, which in my head is ninety percent complaining and making fun of stuff. And if I changed the snark in COLLAPSE, for example, I think it might lose something.

Is that true? I’m not sure, but it definitely merits thinking over. And yes, I’m going to finish with some questions. What do you think of the sarcastic teenage voice? Do any of you have examples of snarky main characters in fiction (YA or not)?

Voiceless

One of the trickiest—and most important—parts of writing is capturing a voice. If you don’t have one, the reader might as well be reading a text book. It’s dry, it’s uninteresting and they are oh so aware of the fact that they are reading.

What is “voice”? Voice is what you write so the reader will read it a certain way. Confused? Yes, me too, and I’m the one who wrote it.

Voice isn’t necessarily the voice of the character (although that’s important too) or the narrator. It’s more like why the narrator reads it that way. Okay, let’s go look at a book that absolutely drips with voice, PUSH, by Sapphire. The language is harsh, the spelling often in error, the grammar completely off. But it really feels like you’re there with Precious, listening to her. It helps that it’s a first person book, but third person can also have wonderfully evocative narrators. Ever read THE PRINCESS BRIDE? The Lord of the Rings Series also does it beautifully.

I follow a lot of agents and almost every single one has said that voice is the most important thing when they read a manuscript. And while you can shape and enhance it, voice is not something that is easy to just create.

What’s my voice? Kind of sarcastic. Clipped. Full of “holy crap, am I going to die?” anxiety with a touch of “how the hell did this happen?” At least, that’s what I’m trying for and it sounds that way when I read it aloud. Readers might have a different view. It’s a little hard to judge your own voice.

Tell me: what is your voice like? Do you have any tricks for cultivating it?

Pretty Little Words

Description can be hard for me to write. It’s usually what I have to add while I’m editing. Now by description, I don’t mean “he walked into the room,” or “she wasn’t tall, but thin enough to appear lanky.” I mean the little details that add flavor to the book, the good ones that really put a picture in your head.

For example, which one is better:

1: The briefcase was blue, an unusual color for business accessories, with a five-number combination lock on the front. Whatever it held was secured well.

-or-

2: It was a blue that screamed faux leather, a briefcase any well-presented executive wouldn’t be caught dead with. Even the combination lock was overdone: five numbers had to be turned before the clips released. Bad men stay out! Secret papers, in!

The first one doesn’t have much personality. The second is a bit overwritten (it was done by me after all), but I feel it has more voice, a kind of bemusement at the super-security. I also think it paints a better word-picture : )

Thoughts? Words? Needless description?

Was, Was Not

I’m currently going through my novel for unnecessary words, particularly that fiend was. It appears in my novel close to 1400 times out of 74,000 words. Not a big deal but still the biggest offender.

There are other words I use too much: could/would/should, have, got, began and started to name a few. I know I can’t get rid of all of them or else I’ll kill my voice and make the novel read like I’m avoiding these words. Because they are necessary sometimes. For example: “her embrace was close to suffocating.” I could just shorten it (Note to self: add just to the list) to “her embrace suffocated him) but there’s no character in that.

It’s good to pare down, contract, get rid of repeat offenders. But don’t go too far or you’ll wind up watering down your voice to the point where it isn’t interesting. Judgment is required. One of the reasons first novels are often so bad is because people have not developed that good-or-bad sense yet. I honestly believe I have improved with each one, but of course, improving doesn't necessarily equal satisfactory...

Yes, I know. It's fairly brief today. Succinctness is a rare and valuable trait, one I often strive for and fail to achieve.