Last week, I participated in Voice Week – a week-long project instigated by BeKindRewrite to write the same scene, story or prompt using a variety of voices or points of view. In keeping with her other challenge – Inspiration Mondays – BeKindRewrite is non-restrictive in how you interpret the challenge, and one of the things I found best about reading the other responses was to see the various ways people went about the challenge.
Some writers took a single story and told it in 5 parts, each focussing on a different character, with a different way of speaking. Others did a similar thing, but changed point of view each time. BeKind herself simply described a scene, but using 5 very different writing styles – from Biblical through gothic literature and beyond. And then there were a few like me, who told a single story from five different points of view.
How did I do? Well, ultimately, that’s for you to decide. I feel the week was a success – lots of generous comments, a few new readers and I learned a few things about my writing too. Did I explore voice? A little, but within quite narrow bounds; my first three entries had reasonably similar tones, so they were more about interpretation and POV. It was only really on Thursday and Friday that I moved away from a single first person narrator and branched out into different styles of writing.
Wednesday was probably the weakest day. The spider’s point of view needed more space really to do what I wanted it to – her angst got lost in the story. Apparently some readers felt that she was too knowledgable about the situation too, although I’m not sure I agree with that – why shouldn’t she see more than the average observer? My cats certainly do.
Thursday was my favourite – an official report on the sinister clearance of inhabitants – although writers always like to play God and Friday was a variation on that theme.
Did you partake – as a writer or a reader? I’d love to know how you enjoyed Voice Week (and if you didn’t there’s still time to go back and look at either my entries or others). In addition, I enjoyed it so much, I’m looking for other short-term writing challenges I can join in online. Do you know any? If so, please share a link.
elmowrites 
I wrote and I enjoyed it. I wish I had done something slightly different with my voices. My stories were all the same, but totally different interpretations of one person. Some of my characters came off as hateful when I didn’t necessarily mean for them to.
Aww, there’s that quote about writing isn’t there, that the story isn’t finished until the reader puts their own gloss onto it? I find that sometimes with my stories – the first novel draft I wrote, quite a few people hated my main character when I thought he was a nice (if slightly misled) guy.
I agree with you – why shouldn’t the spider know more? It seemed to fit with the tone of the other pieces; a sense that the world is bigger than we are, yet we’re all connected.
Thanks so much for participating – I really enjoyed all your pieces!
Thanks bekind – I really enjoyed the challenge. And I’m gad you’re on the spider’s side too!
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I was there! A fascinating challenge, different from others because you had to keep it going for the week, and figure out the different points of view.
The spider knows everything – it is what she tells us that matters.
Thanks for setting it up, Steph – great fun.
Reblogged this on Scratchypen's Blog and commented:
For those who did Voice Week … and those who didn’t, here is Elmo’s summing up …