Voice Check: Who’s Telling This Story?
✍️ Writing Exercises: Finding Your Character’s Voice
Exercise 1: Write a Journal Entry
Write a personal journal entry from your main character’’ point of view.
Describe a bad day they've had.
How do they express frustration? What details do they focus on?
Avoid adult language or overly polished phrasing — just let them talk.
Exercise 2: React to a Weird Event
Imagine your character sees a goat riding a skateboard down the street.
How do they react?
What do they say, notice, or do?
Capture their personality through this reaction.
Exercise 3: The Word Filter
List five words your character would never use. Then five they would totally overuse.
Use this as a reference when editing.
Does their vocabulary feel true to their age, background, and personality?
🧠 Reflection Questions
Does the narration sound like your protagonist, or like you?
If your character wasn’t named, could readers still tell who’s narrating?
Is the tone consistent with the character’s age, emotional state, and story arc?
Does the voice feel unique from other characters in the book?
Are there places where the voice slips into generic or overly adult-sounding prose?
