Voice

In larger and more general terms, voice is a poetic trait of writing that describes the amalgamation of an author’s word choice, rhetorical decision-making, tone, syntax, punctuation, etc. Some rhetoricians talk about the subdued voice, the moderate voice, and the grand voice as three categorical approaches:

• Subdued: formal, clear, concise, plain, passive (often), academic. Example: “It is important to recognize the need for communal and social progress.”
• Moderate: poetic, witty (often), figurative, rhetorical, experimental, creative, wordplay. Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
• Grand: emotional, grandiloquent, emphatic, moving. Example: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

Effective writers often balance all three of these styles. When describing controversial issues in an attempt to be less dramatic, writers might use a subdued voice; when trying to convince an audience to take a call to action, writers might use the grand voice. When trying to engage readers, on the other hand, to hook them into a text or convince them to keep reading, writers might use the moderate voice.

Are you ready to talk to one of our consultants about your voice and how you, the writer, might sound to the reader? If so, consider these questions as you prepare for a consultation:

1. What kind of “voice” do you hear? Friendly? Formal? Chatty? Natural? Angry? Scholarly?
2. Where do you see elements of this in my writing—in my word choice? In my syntax?
3. Does my voice match the assignment’s expectations?
4. Does my voice match my audience’s and genre’s expectations?
5. Is my voice consistent throughout?
6. Is my voice overbearing, underdeveloped, or “just right”? How do I strike the “right” balance?