tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post6372121553410997137..comments2024-03-28T01:00:29.382-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Many VoicesJuliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-56484679145077264612009-10-02T22:16:35.788-07:002009-10-02T22:16:35.788-07:00Thanks, Dario!Thanks, Dario!Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-53334636846511479622009-10-02T21:38:14.850-07:002009-10-02T21:38:14.850-07:00Killer!Killer!Darionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-38041809801717946282009-10-01T11:25:29.996-07:002009-10-01T11:25:29.996-07:00Well, I'm inclined to be optimistic as a gener...Well, I'm inclined to be optimistic as a general rule...Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-54807548843228219222009-10-01T10:53:33.683-07:002009-10-01T10:53:33.683-07:00But that is also tied in with the postmodern notio...But that is also tied in with the postmodern notion that there is no truth, only your truth and my truth and her truth. As Nietzsche said, truth is that which gives you a feeling of empowerment. Conversely, if it damages your self-esteem, it is false. <br /><br />Question is, can we harvest the valuable insight without being infected with the rest.TheOFloinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756711106266484327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-22699297719510839422009-09-30T13:17:09.914-07:002009-09-30T13:17:09.914-07:00I agree with you on that one, CWJ. The "self...I agree with you on that one, CWJ. The "self" is a more layered and diverse creature than sometimes portrayed. It's great to see you come by again.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-63029694155063790122009-09-30T12:10:35.761-07:002009-09-30T12:10:35.761-07:00Most of post-modernism is rubbish, but one solid i...Most of post-modernism is rubbish, but one solid idea in it is that the concept of a unitary voice is an illusion, that each of us, even as individuals, contain a multitude of different voices. (Modernism, with its emphasis on existentialism and consistent self-definition, was more insistent on the idea of a single "true" voice.) The job of a good writer (or actor, for that matter, and probably other creative activities as well) is to let those different voices speak.CWJhttp://www.physics.sdsu.edu/~johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-50189274624748775682009-09-30T10:06:07.672-07:002009-09-30T10:06:07.672-07:00That's awfully ironic, isn't it, Mike? Th...That's awfully ironic, isn't it, Mike? The voice was the first thing that really hit me in "Where the Winds are All Asleep," and I knew right then and there that I was going to enjoy it. I agree that the storyteller's voice shouldn't always be the same (as you know!). I'm glad you've got some stories coming out in Analog soon - I'll be looking out for them!Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-24914069854711033322009-09-30T08:07:21.554-07:002009-09-30T08:07:21.554-07:00A reviewer at LOCUS years ago complained that in m...A reviewer at LOCUS years ago complained that in my collection THE FOREST OF TIME I was imitating the voices of other writers rather that projecting my own voice. Each story, the complaint ran, was in a different voice. <br /><br />My reaction was, well, they're different stories, no? Why should the story-teller's voice be always the same? <br /><br />The reviewer listed the authors whose voice I had chosen to imitate, and the irony was that the list included authors whose work I had never read or of whom I had read perhaps a handful of stories.TheOFloinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756711106266484327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-86863331374664261442009-09-28T13:21:46.792-07:002009-09-28T13:21:46.792-07:00I'm so glad you found it helpful.I'm so glad you found it helpful.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-4224632090719216052009-09-28T12:35:22.623-07:002009-09-28T12:35:22.623-07:00That's a great breakdown of linguistic element...That's a great breakdown of linguistic elements. The list and examples really help to explain why some of my characters fall short of where they should be and what I can do to get them there. Can't wait to apply some these elements to improve the characters which lack a suitable voice.Jaleh Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04942272578488986874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-9408763785897715432009-09-28T07:09:44.621-07:002009-09-28T07:09:44.621-07:00Interesting observations, CWJ - I'd never real...Interesting observations, CWJ - I'd never really seen that kind of attitude in sf, or at least, I haven't seen it expressed in such a direct way. I agree about Mike Flynn - he's got great voices.<br /><br />Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for the LeGuin recommendation. I'll have to go check it out.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-32463766360565478782009-09-28T06:56:33.805-07:002009-09-28T06:56:33.805-07:00"Voice" is often a marker of "liter..."Voice" is often a marker of "literariness" in fiction. Think of Scout in "To Kill A Mockingbird," think of Huck in "Huckleberry Finn." In science fiction, a distinctive voice tends to be (falsely) associated with "soft" sf, while "hard" sf often works hard to minimize any distinctive voice; unfortunately hard sf often, but not always, reads like an instruction manual. I don't think it has to be that way; for example, Mike Flynn is extremely good at voice, and I'd like to see much more of a distinctive 'voice' in hard sf. I think you do an excellent job at it too, Juliette, and I'm glad to see you continue to work at it. <br /><br />The way I've developed voices--not that I'm claiming to be very good at it--is simply through exercises. LeGuin's "Steering the Craft" is good for this.CWJhttp://www.physics.sdsu.edu/~johnsonnoreply@blogger.com