Character Voice: How to Distinguish Characters from One Another
- M.L. Bull
- Apr 20
- 6 min read
Updated: May 16
Characters are complex fictional beings with different physical attributes, backstories, and emotional wounds, but one of the most overlooked ways to distinguish them is by character voice. Writers can get creative with how they present their characters and give them lifelike voices that will entertain readers. There are seven specific ways writers can show character voice, which include giving characters' accents, slang or jargon, diction or word choice, tone or volume, phrases or vocabulary, speech patterns or impediments, and their educational backgrounds. Let's go over all of these to evaluate some creative examples of how to use each of them within stories below.
WATCH THE EPISODE
See episode 7 of season 3 of my Journey of a Christian Writer series, Character Voice: How To Distinguish Characters From One Another, or continue reading the blog post.
ACCENTS
Like real people, characters can have different accents based on their ethnicity, nationality, or their place of region. For example, maybe a character is from the Southern United States while another is a native from Great Britan or France in Europe. The character from the Southern region of the U.S. will sound much different when they talk compared to the character from Europe, and a writer could show this based on describing the characters' distinguished accents from one another in their lines of dialogue. This can easily be done by referring readers to what type of accent a character has, as I did in my debut novel, Eva's Promise about the Caribbean social worker, Dr. Barbara Washburn.
Example 1: Mention accent type
"Come in! Come in!" Dr. Washburn chirped in her Caribbean accent.
Writers can also show this by writing in the native tongue of foreign or different ethnics of characters, just as I did with Grandpa Ricardo who fluently speaks Spanish and is originally from the northwestern city of Chihuahua, Mexico.
Example 2: Insert foreign language
Grandpa Ricardo pulled out a pack of Big Red chewing gum from his checkered, western shirt and frowned at Andre, slightly tilting his head. "What's the matter, nieto? ¿Eres infeliz?"
SLANG or JARGON
When we hear the term slang, most of the time we think of shortcut words from the city or the hood. However, slang could be short term words that are used by a specific age group, time period, or based on whatever region characters are located or are from in a country. For example, there are slang words used in the Northeastern area of the U.S than aren't used in the South. I should know, as I'm originally from Maryland. However, jargon is a little different and is based on words that are common in one's profession or occupation. For example, policemen who use the slang term, 10-4 when talking over a radio, which means one is understood. Consider these little details when using both slang and jargon in your stories.
Example 1: Slang
"Aye, yo, it's five-o! We gotta split, man!"
Example 2: Jargon
"Roger that. We're closing in on them."
DICTION or WORD CHOICE
As I've pretty much already mentioned in the previous examples, diction and word choice can be used to distinguish voices between characters. Aside from accents, slang, and jargon, writers can show voice based on characters' world views and perceptions, such as the example I shared before of my female protagonist Millie Crabtree from my Christian and Historical fiction young adult novel, The Pact of Freedom. In her first-person narrative, she expresses how she feels like a slave and uses specific wording related to slavery due to the limitations white women faced in the 1850s' South. She also describes the perception of some of the white townspeople who saw her as a traitor for her opposing views of slavery and seeing it as a sin against God.
Once my best friend Pearl and I formed our sister blood pact as little girls, I felt as much in bondage as the slaves on my father’s plantation.
Rather than accept life as it was, I wanted the freedom to explore the world, live my dreams, and grasp the pleasures of life, liberty, and happiness. But in the South, this felt like a fantasy—an elusive dream, as I lacked the courage to execute it. Maybe my statements were inconsiderate in a nation that favors the white race, but I saw slavery as inhumane and nothing more than a pit of hell. Having opposing views made me a branded traitor to my own flesh and blood.
TONE or VOLUME
Something many writers may not always consider when it comes to distinguishing character voice is tone or volume, but this one can really make a different when utilizing the sense of sound in one's stories. Writers can describe how loud or soft a character's voice is, or the pitch of their voice. For example, maybe a female character has a high-pitched voice when she talks or perhaps a male character talks with a baritone. Singing tones can also be used to describe characters' voices, such as a character who sings with a resounding vibrato. These little details allow readers to imagine fictional characters that much more in scenes.
Example 1: Tone
The woman's high soprano voice echoed through the concert speakers.
Example 2: Volume
"I said get out of my store!" the man shouted.
PHRASES or VOCABULARY
Another way writers can show character voice and distinguish characters is by phrases and vocabulary. Maybe some characters have common sayings or words that they use that other characters don't use when expressing character dialogue. For inspiration, think of well-known characters from TV shows, sitcoms, movies, or books that you're familiar with, and then create a vocabulary reference in a story bible while constructing your character profiles. Two examples of characters like this are Steve Urkel from Family Matters, who's known for asking "Did I do that?" after making blunders, and the comical, big brother JJ Evans from the 1970s' drama sitcom, Good Times, who's known for saying the catchphrase, "DYNOMITE!"
SPEECH PATTERNS or IMPEDIMENTS
Just like people in real life, writers can also describe the speech patterns or impediments of their characters. For example, maybe a character stutters when they talk, or maybe a character is a cautious speaker and pauses or hesitates in their speech during emotional situations, such as after receiving an update of bad news about a loved one or their health. These descriptions can create significant differences between characters, allowing readers to imagine the sounds and conversations of fictional characters in real life.
💡Tip: USE ELLIPSES OR HYPHENS FOR PAUSES OR HESITATIONS. Writers can use ellipses or hyphens with duplicated lettering to show when characters pause or hesitate in their speech during dialogue scenes and conversations, or to represent impediment patterns.
Below is an example from my debut Christian romance novel, Eva's Promise after my character, Andre, developed the speech condition of Broca's Aphasia due to his brain injury.
He swallowed hard and attempted to talk again. "No more . . . no more b-b-burden. Must . . . d-d-divorce." He hung his head sadly.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Similar to vocabulary, the educational levels and backgrounds of characters can also tell a lot about them and be used to distinguish their voices from one another. For example, maybe one character has a third-grade education, while another is a college graduate from Harvard. This character with less education probably won't talk as proper as the one with a bachelor's degree and there will likely be a difference in their structure, grammar, and word usage.
Below is a short example of a conversation between these two characters:
Character 1: "Sir, do you have a college degree?
Character 2: "Nope. I only went to the third grade."
Character 1: How well is your arithmetic for this job position?
Character 2: My what?
Character 1: "Your math. Can you add and subtract?
Character 2: "Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm pretty good at it."
CLOSING REMARKS:
As you can see, characters can be identified by their tones, sounds, and speech. The next time you create a large cast, look beyond physical appearance and instead give them distinct voices. Consider experimenting and including a combination of the ways listed above to show character voice. These ways may add the spark that breathes more life and personality into the fictional characters in your stories. For more writing videos or tutorials, subscribe to my writing channel Journey of a Christian Writer series. All right, that's all for this post. If you enjoyed it and found it helpful, please, give a (heart❤️), take part in the poll 🤔, and share your thoughts or comments 💬 below.)
Happy Writing! 😊✍🏽💻
🤔Hey, writers, which below do you think is most the distinctive way to show character voice?
👳🏽♂️Accents
🔊Tone or Volume
🔠Diction or Word Choice
👅Speech Patterns or Impediments
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