Whenever I teach a child, I learn something.
That may be cliche, but it is true for me. I’m not a teacher, but every parent is a teacher (intentional or not). The engineer in me likes to do things intentionally.
Voice is notoriously difficult to describe, let alone teach. But some kids seem to have an intuitive sense of it. I think this is because they haven’t learned the rules yet, or feel less hampered by them. They “talk” in their writing the way they think in their heads, which taps into a natural voice that is uniquely them.
I love having my boys write their own Christmas Letters for this very reason.
Here’s 7 year old Mighty Mite:
On Christmas Eve last year, my mom got me two cats for Christmas. The cats were soft and furry. We named one Techy and one Ninja. We renamed Ninja to Fluff Meister. Last summer, I started to take piano lessons with Mrs. Ryan. By the way, my name is Ryan. That’s pretty strange, isn’t it?
Never mind that the cats belong to the family – in Mighty Mite’s world, I got them for him, and him alone. You can just hear the 7yo innocence in his Voice, and that his world rotates around the people (and cats) in it.
Here’s 9 year old Worm Burner:
Hi, my name is Sam I’m
going to tell you what mischief I’ve been up to this year.
Gotten 2 cats Techy and Ninja, who would do any
thing to be able to write ‘jhgusqpjyfcqa’ on the computer.
Messed around with everything from cats to
indefinitely lost internet connections.
Eaten huge amounts of cheese.
You immediately hear Sam’s sly sense of humor, and you can see from the way he plays with fonts and bullet points and the mentions of internet and computers that he is very tech-savvy. But mostly, his voice tells you very clearly “I’m mischievious; look out for me.”
I’d want to read more, wouldn’t you?
This is what a great Voice does – pulls you in and makes you want more. Developing a voice that is pure and clear sometimes means going back to an intuitive sense of who you are as a writer. Let your inner child out to play. Let that authentic Voice take over, and speak the bare truth inside.
Speaking truth: definitely something that kids can teach us.
LOL I LOVE it! Especially Sam's voice. Giving examples in this case are far more useful than trying to define something that's been so indefinable for so long.
ha!ha! ha!
very great examples!
thanks to the boys for the lesson! (my sam is very mischievious as well… i wonder if it comes with the name?)
@Lisa Sometimes it's so much easier to see by example, I agree!
@aspiring I think so – he was a Sam from the day he was born. 🙂
Oh this is awesome! I am SOOO going to have my 9 year old write something for the Christmas letter! you are dead-on about the voice.
Love these examples! I think you're right that voice comes from intuition and imaginatively stepping inside someone else's skin.
Thank you for sharing their voices! Sounds like the cats were a big hit. One of my nephews is pen pals with my best friend's son (they're both around 8 years old) and I'd love to see their correspondance.
So cute! And yes, a voice that surprises us and tells us as it is with his/her own style is great voice.
Aww, what a great post! Your sons sound brilliant! 🙂
You have very precocious children =) They are going to be writers right?
p.s. I love how they both thought the cats were for them.
@Margo It is so fun to see what they come up with!
@Laurel Yes! Mastering your own voice is tough, but stepping into others is even more difficult.
@Jennifer The cats rule our lives.
@Laura Funny how we can see it, but not always make it happen (at least for me).
@PK They are entertaining, for sure. 🙂
@Sierra I don't know if they'll be writers, but if they grow up with writing skills, I won't complain!
Great post, and what a great way to show the power of voice.
Awww – sweet post! Your boys sound delightful!
Fun post–kids are so great, aren't they?
@kelly Thanks!
@Darby Yeah, I think I'll keep 'em. 🙂
@Catherine Absolutely! 🙂
Well, my daughter's using "per se" lately. So I figure anyone who's breaking out the lating, with correct usage, is someone I should listen to. Even if she's only five.
Latin, that is…
Nobody is more honest than kids. Great post!
@Bryan You have one smart little girl! And Latin's all the rage now – she's well prepared. 🙂
@Tara Definitely honest – especially when critiquing my stories! LOL
I love it. Speaking truth is a great way to describe voice. 🙂