Voice is the feeling behind the words, and readers usually notice it before they can name it. In writing, voice is not the same as plot, tone, or point of view, even though the three often work together. Readers pick it up from recurring choices in vocabulary, sentence length, rhythm, imagery, distance, and attitude, which […]
You're rereading a chapter and something feels wrong. The plot works, the characters' actions make sense, and the sentences are grammatically clean, yet the scene lands with the wrong emotional pressure. Perhaps a narrator describes grief with polished distance, or a supposedly frightening discovery sounds almost playful. The problem may not be the event itself. […]