1. Examples of Voice
English 8

2. Example #1
From Cinder by Marissa Meyer: “I will set up a press conference.” Torin’s voice was hollow. “A press conference?” “The country needs to know. We will mourn together.” Torin seemed shaken for a rare moment – he covered it with a measured breath.

3. Cinder Example, cont’d
Kai squeezed his eyes shut and chafed them with his fingers. Even knowing that it was coming, that his father was sick with this incurable disease, it still made no sense. All that had just been lost, taken so quickly. Not just his father. Not just the emperor. His youth. His freedom.

4. What strategies is the author using?
Playing with font / formatting
Dialogue that serves a purpose
Short, simple sentence (sentence structure)
Giving reactions and emotions

5. Example #2
From Safe by Susan Shaw: In the years following Mama’s funeral, her perfume sometimes wafted through my bedroom window, and she floated in on its moonbeam scent. It wasn’t very often, and more times when I was little than later. She nestled me in her arms, keeping me safe, smoothing my black curls with her caress, whispering how beautiful I was getting.

6. What strategies is this author using?
Figurative language
Details
Opening (it is the first paragraph of the book)
Character’s feelings
Sentence structure (repetitive sentence structure)

7. Example #3
From Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix "My wife died when I was seventy-four," he said. "I don't want to forget her funeral. Everyone came up to me and told me what a wonderful woman she'd been. . ." His voice trailed off. Amelia waiting for someone--probably Mrs. Flick--to break the tension.

8. What strategies is this author using?
Ellipses and dashes
Dialogue with purpose
Character emotion / reaction

9. Example #4
From Boy21 by Matthew Quick "You are an Earthling?" Boy21 says to me. I swallow and nod. "I am programmed to treat all Earthlings with kindness. Greetings. I am Boy21 from the cosmos. I am stranded here on Earth, but I will be leaving soon. Enter into my domestic living pod."

10. What strategies is this author using?
Vocabulary
Indirect Characterization

11. Writers (like you) use many strategies to create voice
Short sentences
Indirect characterization
Ellipses
Dashes
Vocabulary
Parenthetical asides
Manipulation of dialogue
Internal dialogue
Figurative language