HOW TO ROCK YOUR CHARACTER VOICE

Writing strong character voice is not as easy as it looks. (ok nvm it doesn't look easy.) BUT TODAY i'm going to show you the 7 TRIED AND TRUE techniques I use all the time to make my character voice unique and recognizable. ALSO ALSO; at the end of this video I answer some FAQs of character voice and debunk some common myths.
If you got something out of this video, please SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON to let me know!!
LINKS TO THE MBTI IMAGES I SHOWED:
handy little graph of all types: bit.ly/3030ysq
the types in a few words: bit.ly/32i2uPM
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[@blueseaturtle6031]

1. Learn your character’s personality type 2. Make your characters polar opposites 3. Assign certain phrases to each character 4. Learn their form of manipulation 5. Use metaphors that reflect their world view 6. What your character does all day affects their world view 7. Create your characters desire fear and misbelief 8. (Bonus) give your characters a spine, Aka: an unconscious inner desire the character has that affects their outer goals

[@Chirpy-eo8jq]

Thank you!!!

[@Cotfi2]

Arigato! 😑👍

[@heatherkline6766]

A version of point 6 that I really appreciate comes from the mysteries by Arthur Conan Doyle where Sherlock Holmes will occasionally use swordplay terminology. "We have found an opponent worthy of our steel" for instance.

[@_-drowsy-_]

2 is kinda ridiculous. No, they shouldn’t be too similar and it’s usually more fun to read about people that are very different from each other, but some simply work better with others like them.

[@suijin25]

When I finish a character profile I look at actors whose voices and mannerisms would best highlight that profile.

[@Dani_1012]

That's a good idea, though it may be challenging

[@suijin25]

@@Dani_1012 I kinda use the Tarantino methods of just watching a lot. Also, it works to mix and match. Right now I'm writing a novel with a character that's an amalgam of 3 different actresses. One for voice/cadence, another for appearance, and one for mannerisms.

[@AnkouBlake]

I "cast" my characters as I write them, which helps me with personality as well. Glad I'm not the only one who does this lol.

[@chrisbushman718]

Im doing that too with my current novel. It makes the characters feel more real in my mind

[@thespittake6636]

I like that

[@holleyk8draws]

I’m a lifeguard and I’m tempted to say WALK to random running children 😂😂

[@prico3358]

I am afraid to die old without ever learning to swim. If a cruise ship sink.. can I jump overwater and make it.. or is it an automatic drown?

[@prico3358]

@@aaronmedders4141 what I mean is, if you never swim before in your life, you never been more than 5 seconds in water deeper than 6 feet without a life jacket ..... Can you expect to jump to deep water to safe your life and instinct kick in? Or do you simply drown and have no chance? .. Is learning to swim obligatory in a life and death situation, or does instic help you live? .. Can someone who never swam before expect lo get a hang of it on the first try if it's a matter of life and death?

[@prico3358]

@@aaronmedders4141 I'm asking to the lifeguard. He should now a lot about swimming.

[@localbandshow]

@@prico3358 I've coached swimming for over two decades. Swimming is not instinctual; humans are land-based creatures, and the act of swimming is counter-intuitive. Putting your head mostly under water helps your body float, the same way a crocodile has most of its head submerged while it swims, but all of our human sensory organs are in our head -- and putting it under water *feels* wrong. Unfortunately, we humans do not have eyes on the back of our head like the ancient crocodiles do. GOOD NEWS is that life jackets are fantastic, and there are thousands on any cruise ship. A coast-guard certified life jacket has all or most of its floatation on the front, which will lay the user back in the water into a back-float position (sometimes ears underwater but face is always out), which will make it so they do not need to swim -- they just try to relax their muscles, think warm thoughts, and stay away from anyone who is panicking until help arrives. It's not a fun experience if you are not a swimmers, but it is easy to survive with the right equipment.

[@prico3358]

@@localbandshow thank you very very very much. This answered perfectly my doubt

[@leigh-anjohnson]

Fanfiction really did help me to learn character voice. I already know the personality of the characters from watching the show so I wrote to match that in the tone, dialogue, internal narrative and feedback i got said it sounded just like how they imagine the character. It helped me learn how to write distinct voices.

[@Idontevenusethisshit_766]

omg same I'm making a naruto fanfic so I say y'know and believe it alot for naruto lmao

[@Queennumen]

Same. Fanfiction helped me a lot

[@82dorrin]

People talk down about fanfiction a lot, but it can be a VERY good way to learn how to write great stories.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

I am raising my hand. I started writing random scenes based on characters I am thoroughly familiar with and I have found duplicating their voices has been instructive and good practice. I had no knowledge of craft and am now trying to get the basics so that I can craft a fanfic story as a first attempt to write a full story. I’m saving my original ideas for when I get further along in understanding and execution. Thanks for your comment. It’s encouraging and validating.

[@oliverford5367]

@@82dorrin It's silly snobbery. People have always written works based on existing stories. Most of Shakespeare's plays are not original plots. Greek playwrights often chose the Trojan War, and Homer, as their setting.

[@amazonbookworm1154]

Another really good tip for writing dialogue, especially if it's between multiple characters, is to read it out loud. What you see is definitely not what you hear. What might read well can sound stilted or awkward once heard. I know when I first started writing, all of my characters sounded the same. Then I started reading it out loud and realized what to fix. The other thing is, observe. If you're writing a YA or children's book, go to a local mall and people watch. Watch how people in the age group you're considering writing about act. Obviously, don't be a creeper, but it is amazing what you pick up just sitting in the middle of a mall and watching people walk by.

[@Janawrites]

"People are people, regardless of gender." - Abbie Emmons Thank you, yes!!

[@Tornacuum]

True, people are people. But still, in general, men and women see, think, feel and react differently to different stimuli. Because of hormones mostly. Environmental factors play a role obviously, like if a man grew up in a hypermasculine conditioning, for sure he's going to be even more, well, "stereotypically masculine". At least, he's going to ACT as if he was hypermasculine, probably because of some sort of inferiority/superiority complex, and he'll understand the world through this conditioning also. But mostly, hormones and biology are the reason why we ARE indeed different. We don't have different sexual chromosomes and biology for no reason. That's just the way it is. I think not taking that into consideration when writing can't really do any good :-).

[@luckywithpaint7773]

Yet there are male writers, that write blank bomshell females with no personality.

[@xtonibx5770]

Idk what the point of this comment was but men and women should be written differently because men and women are definitely different. They are people, but writers of any gender should do their research on how to properly write men *and* women. Even a lot of women struggle to write women, and lord knows a lot of men struggle to write women. Edit: The quote is from the girl in the video 😭🙃 I feel kinda dumb even though I stand by what I said lol

[@Tornacuum]

@@xtonibx5770 Absolutely.

[@cheesecakelasagna]

@@luckywithpaint7773 Because they lack knowledge on the subject (imagine a sci-fi writer lacking sci-fi knowledge) and think that's passable. Also, they make those female characters these unrealistic fantasy girl, their "manic pixie dream girl". Which is a usual telltale sign of a writer whose head is up their own ass most times.

[@Thenoobestgirl]

Fun fact about Comic Sans font - I've heard it's actually one of the easier fonts for people with dyslexia to read. :)

[@syberyah]

How to write a little kid voice: have younger siblings

[@miagrace6677]

Syberyah yeah I’m really lucky that my brother is younger😂

[@privatecitizen9341]

Little kids react emotionally and in terms of sensory experience. They notice how things taste, smell, feel. They want the warm blanket, the soft stuffed animal, their favorite sandwich, etc. If they get their way, the judgment is fair. If they don't get their way, you are automatically unfair. Everything is fun or boring. No middle ground. New experiences are exciting or frightening for the most part. Hope this helps.

[@nuny4592]

Maybe my sisters will come into good use after all...

[@malloryo.4782]

Or cousins. They're very helpful too in my experience. 😊

[@hedgehogz_rockz9325]

Pro life tip: BE a younger sibling. Older siblings think we are dumb shallow inconveniences to there VERY important lives. (This is exaggerated btw)

[@britnihill9457]

I’m not a writer but I’m a reader and have toyed with the idea of writing but confession! Since finding your channel you have completely changed the way I read books. My reviews have gotten WAY stronger. So SHOUTOUT to You!!

[@heyjasminedanielle]

Even though I’m not a writer, I still want to support my girl! Abbie, you’re killin’ it with giving your subbies valuable content🌟 keep up the good work girlie!

[@AxleBoost]

How wholesome.

[@user-te7ws5sz1f]

This is amazing

[@th3logician]

POV: How to make dialog Womanish compared to Manish

[@TheThreeBookshelves]

I’ve never thought to assign MBTI types (which I’m literally going to do tonight because WOW) but I always think of what Hogwarts house my characters would be in! I also like to give each one a verbal quirk, based on who or what they are. In my WIP, one character drops the beginnings of his sentences a lot (e.g. instead of “Do you think it’ll rain?” he’d say “Think it’ll rain?”), one doesn’t use contractions (he’s an android, so it isn’t in his programming), and one refers to himself in third person (a former slave whose race doesn’t see themselves as having individual identities).

[@cheesecakelasagna]

You can do it with any personality types, really. East Asians are big on blood type personalities, some use zodiac sign, etc. You can even build your own chracter profiling system. For me, I curate playlists and movie recs as if my characters made them. They're essentially guidelines to remind you to keep track of your character instinctual personalities.

[@amandaleib489]

Omg yes I've always done like zodiac signs and hogwarts houses but never mbti

[@sobeautifullywritten4318]

This is a great way to look at it too! :D

[@violetevergarden5160]

My favorites are Enneagram and MBTI. I dont know all my characters types, but i often type them as i get to know them. Also for mbti, follow functions. (If u wanna get dragged into the rabbit whole that is)

[@Kurrokami]

@@cheesecakelasagna Good tips! Most of my characters have favorite bands and/or theme songs that I like to play when writing important moments for them.

[@user-gq5vs2eg9j]

1. MBTI types 2. make characters polar opposites 3. assign certain phrases to each character 4. Learn their form of manipulation 5. use metaphors characters would actually use 6. what your character does all day affects how they see the world 7. each character pov has its own font

[@kevinreily2529]

That's great advice. Every main character should have a "signature line". Exactly what I have found very helpful in working on the characters in my first novel. Plus, it helps you get deeper into that character.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

I like the idea of a signature word or phrase but I would want to be careful using it to much. I would marry the phrase to a particular type of circumstance and then use it accordingly and sparingly within the same story. If you’re writing a series, then of course that gives the opportunity to pepper it throughout. A context I enjoy reading is when the mc’s signature phrase is intentionally mirrored back on him by another main character (like the second protagonist in a romance or even the villain). That could give it even more meaning and help to cement it to the mc without the mc being the one to say it again. In other words, I think it’s best to make it signature in a way that doesn’t involve him or her saying it every chapter. And I don’t know that I would have more than one character in a story have a signature…it might start to feel contrived. I’m not an authority by any means but I’m just relying on my own experience as a reader and for movies and tv concerning catch phrases and signatures. Fine line between the character overusing it and using it just the right amount. Bonus points if use of the phrase somehow reveals identity or relationship of the character to another. Example: in Age of Ultron, the scene where Ultron used a Tony Stark signature line and was thereby “identified” or better yet “accused” of being “one of Stark’s” by another character. Ultron didn’t like that by the way and chopped most of the guys arm off in rage. Doesn’t have to be that extreme but you get my point 😂. Would love one of your titles and the platform if you care to share… Cheers!

[@pinkypromisevintage]

You're probably my favorite authortuber. I can feel the passion in your voice when you talk about writing stories. And you put everything very simply so it's easy to understand. Thank you for making these videos! I was wondering if you can make a video on tips for writing a novel with more than one protagonist? :) that would be awesome!!!

[@StephanieOplinger]

The personality test is such a genius idea! I never thought to use that, and now I will have to all the time 😁

[@KyrieW]

Do the test pretending you`re that character. I've gotten myself to answer as INTJ even though I am totally not that... lol. Even the questions they ask (and you are forced to answer) create more depth in your head about your character

[@amberandrews6692]

I can agree with the fanfiction thing! I write Avengers/Irondad & Spiderson fanfiction and a lot of us fic writers are practically capabable of sounding like we've written the script. Tony's pretty difficult to write but easy once you get it! Like, all of the nicknames he uses and the way he waves off people's concern for him and the way he always drinks coffee and sits in the lab without sleeping or eating for days straight. Peter's more of a bubbly blabber. He always goes on tangents about things and can speak so fast that he rivals Tony when he's talking science. I feel like they're both the same in that aspect, though I guess that's the fic writer's/fandom's personal belief or take on their personalities.

[@nikkinewbie6014]

Tony’s penchant for giving everyone nicknames is hilariously acted by RDJ. It’s so signature for him. I assume by your description that you’re talking about Tom’s Spiderman. Neither Andrew nor Toby really go off on tangents. I imagine Tony’s voice is fun to write. He’s such a complex character. Peter is much more what you see is what you get with a youthful enthusiasm and spirit. The scene in Endgame with those two is heartbreaking. I totally consider Tony to be Tom’s version of Uncle Ben because we never see Tom’s Peter’s Uncle Ben’s death happen on screen nor do we see him relating to his Uncle Ben. He doesn’t cause Tony’s death but it has ramifications for him in the movie that followed for sure. I’d love a title and platform if you care to share? If not keep at it and congrats. I’m working on my first ever wip. It’s an exciting process. Abbie’s been a huge resource and I love reading the comments on her vids as well.

[@pennyrobinson6481]

This is the clearest video I’ve found on character voice so far. Thank you!

[@taylorduarte6725]

I definitely use specific words for certain characters. I.e: one character says "Alright" the other says "Okay, fine." Etc. When I write different POV I put myself in their head. And try think if it makes sense. One of my WIP is two female twins who are nothing alike. One is super girly and the other is a badass/athletic. So the actions are clear that twin 1 wouldnt be shooting guns. I think if you sit back and just logically think "does this make sense to the character I'm writing?" It'll be easy to figure out.

[@malloryo.4782]

I do the same. 😊 Although sometimes characters can have surprising contradictions, just like real people do, just not too many of them. For instance, I could imagine the girly twin might have a hidden interest in guns (if she's especially girly she might even have a pink gun and matching gun bag) and be an excellent markswoman, while her athletic sister might have more of a taste for hand to hand combat or knives, but be terrible with guns and dislike them even. It's a fun angle to consider. 🤔

[@dion789]

I also write fanfiction. It's surprising how even though I've read the Harry Potter books a million times and you'd think I would know Harry through and through by now, it's still difficult to write in his voice. I recognise it instantly when I see it in other people's fanfics, but doing it yourself is a lot harder.

[@KyrieW]

Don`t forget about Enneagram personality test! I have started to do both MBTI and Enneagrams for each character and the two tests are so helpful together in truly dividing your characters by personlity. The best part of Enneagram is that it (is supposed to) predict how a character acts when STRESSED. Enneagram 7 becomes manic and reckless while Enneagram 1 becomes withdrawn, for example. Gives me all these story ideas... lol

[@StarbucksOwl]

One of the things I enjoy doing when looking for a character voice is that I will try to match them to an existing voice, be it a celebrity or a singer, an artist, anyone. I tend to lean towards singers because music makes me emotional and I consider it a very expressive form of art. So if I have a cocky character, I would look for cocky musicians until I find a voice that fits. Mind you, my character profile has already been made, but this addition really brings them to life in my eyes.

[@luckygardeniasdashboardcon9214]

Love this idea

[@Darfaultner]

15:43 - Impressive finger-snap

[@ncm2738]

Thanos would be proud

[@thespittake6636]

Love this video, very helpful. Whenever I'm writing a scene, especially one that's supposed to be emotional and dialogue heavy, I like to act it out. Let myself get lost in the moment. Sometimes I'll focus on an old memory that evokes a similar emotion to what the lead character of a scene is feeling. I'll let myself fester in that feeling for a little bit as I ad lib. I'll go through a whole scene like that. I often find this as exhausting as it is cathartic. Also, as a general rule, reading your scenes out loud can help you figure out if the sentence structure and character responses makes sense. If a character has a more articulated way of speaking, would them getting emotional change the way they speak? As an example, when I get upset, I tend to draw upon my large vocabulary to help distance myself emotionally from the situation so that I can keep a calm head. When I'm sad, I tend to speak more plainly with a lot of pauses because I have a hard time expressing myself when I'm feeling vunerable. When I'm happy, I speak plainly, but very fast, I tend to stumble over my words and stutter in my excitement. Please feel free to use these three as templates for your written works, if you so desire.

[@miliqueholland7098]

Thanks Abbie. These tips are great and can't wait to use them!!!

[@nikhilmukherjee8643]

I started watching your videos three days ago and I have gone through 5 playlists. I never felt all of this so easy (and interesting) before. Thanks a lot!

[@terriannmuller794]

I recently came across your channel and I love what you’re putting out to KZbin! Thank you.

[@malloryo.4782]

These really are some of the best videos I've found on writing. Thanks, Abbie! 😊

[@JeeZwriter64]

I just bought your book, I am excited to read it!

[@afifaezi3994]

Aaahhh I love all of this!!!! I actually never tried writing from a character's point of view, but the tips are so, so helpful for asserting the characters' personality because I'm currently struggling with it. Can't wait for the omniscient narrator video!!! Thank you so much as always, Abbie!! 💕💐

[@patchworkcorpse]

This actually helped! I've always struggled with character voice, and this gave me a whole new view of things

[@col.strayga1389]

This is by far you're most useful tips you have put in your videos.

[@mom2many166]

Holy CRAP! This is so much more helpful than other character development vids...wow. Thanks!!

[@sharicebryant8149]

First off, your bookshelf is very pleasing to me. I love color coordinated anything. 2nd, I just found your channel (new subbie) and I’m so so so thankful I did because my literary agent is on my ass about character voice for my first children’s fiction book of a planned series, going into submission soon lol. thank you for the tips! Keep them coming.

[@katheryn.nicole]

Loved the tip about certain phrases! 💗

[@qamarmasri9331]

These tip are like BOOM 💥 for me. I am participating in CampNaNoWriMo this month and it's the first time that I try to write from different POV. So the video was so so helpful for me! Thanks Abbie! 💛

[@paulapoetry]

Great tips, Abbie - thank you. I totally agree about giving each character different phrases in their dialogue. If all the characters say the same particular phrases, it generally means they're ones we use ourselves. I definitely notice it in published novels, and it does make the reading experience less immersive. Worth addressing, for sure. 😃💝

[@yasutakeuchi]

Hell yeah Katie. That font tip is hella meta

[@antoniodossantos5960]

Unique, authentic touch...applies to write any book... Thanks Abbie 🌎

[@ZubatTheDubat]

I just discovered your channel and I'm binge-watching every video, they make great listening while I write my uni assignments! Much love from Australia

[@ourpeachscones]

This is an amazing video. I'll definitely be using this for my stories from now on.

[@satyestru]

This is probably my favorite of your videos I've seen since discovering your channel. Thanks! Also, I love deep female voices, and yours is great

[@A.H._]

I always wait for Wednesdays to come because of you videos. You light up my day! I just got curious: how many words does 100DOS has? I was just wondering 😅 Anyway, keep it going and thank you for your tips!

[@Opalescent]

Thanks for this awesome advice!! I'm currently writing for Camp Nano and your videos really help me keep going whenever I get stuck!

[@ConnecticutDAVID]

i really dig the common character phrase tip. so true and yes, it's a helpful distinction

[@goodcleanfun.with.aubrierose]

I've needed this so much! Thank you Abbie!

[@kykel4948]

I am at this point, binge watching your videos more than a new netflix series. XD Your writing advice on this channel is amazing! So glad I found you and thanks so much! Also, thanks for the tip on the fonts. Hadn't thought about that before. Will definitely be implementing that. My character voice method (with 2 character examples): On another note, my book has 6 POVs and one of the things I did early on to really help each of them stand out is what I call a Conscious Perspective Trait. The idea is that everyone thinks, analyzes and responds differently, regardless of the situation. Sure, the outcome might be the same to each person but the process by which we each get to it is different (mentally). I assign each character a perception based trait, similar to the DFM. It's the dominant perspective of their personality. How I write each character is influenced by this specific trait. Example: My antagonist POV is an interrogator, essentially as close to a human lie detector as one could get. His personality is dominantly cynical and as a result his Conscious Perspective Trait is Distrust. His entire perspective is influenced by analyzing and reading anyone and everyone, always looking for a tell or give in their body language or behavior that he can take advantage of to get the truth. Everything he sees or does is influenced by this perspective. When I'm writing, I get into character, telling myself at every interaction that this opposite character is lieing and looking for a tell of it, even if in the greater story the character is actually telling the truth. To Victor, everyone lies and is only looking out for themselves. He is essentially projecting a mirror image of himself on everyone else. Literary Tricks(to show this): Some tricks here are his internal monologue makes judgemental assumptions and he pays more attention to body language than any other character in the book. He says things to elicit specific responses from people and even makes certain physical movements to influence their behavior. Text: “I asked, how old are you?” The question made the boy swallow and Victor took note of the undistinguished adam’s apple. “I’m sixteen sir.” He replied, still paralyzed in place. “You should have told me fifteen. I might have believed that.” The boy stared a moment as though unsure how to respond, pursing his lips. “I’m fifteen sir.” Victor didn’t have the see his eyes divert up to his left eyebrow to know he was lying. The boys posture had noticeably stiffened. One final example is Lilian. She starts out in a very low place, trying to solve her brother's supposed murder, the objective of her DFM. Her personality itself doesn't have a single dominant trait within the book because her character arc results in significant change but you could argue that for events of the book, her personality's dominant trait is Resolve, as this most heavily influences the quality and quantity of her character change. She has no help or leads but refuses to quit and the entirety of her perspective in the book is a blend of Desperate Resolve. She is desperate enough to take obvious risks, sometimes naive and other times fully aware of the danger she's in, but she's also too resolved/determined to quit. So, anytime she comes to an obstacle or dead end, I ask myself, what would someone too determined to quit do here? This is so ingrained in her perspective that when she doesn't know what to do, she asks herself what her brother or Keslar (her love interest) would do in this situation. She is willing to make decisions that would normally be out of character for her seemingly timid nature because she is simply desperate enough. Literary Tricks: When stuck or confused, asks herself what others she looks up to would do. Stands her ground and doesn't back down when told no or looks for another avenue of success. Resorts to out of character methods such as breaking the law despite being raised by both her father and brother, both of whom were law enforcement, when she believes it will get her closer to her desire. Text: "Can we help you mam?" Asked the older man. "Yes. I'm looking for information on something and I was told somebody here might be able to help me?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "A lady like you came down to these parts, at night," he said, pausing for emphasis, "to find someone you don't know, to ask questions that only someone in a place like this could answer?" She was unsure if tone of the latter half of the statement was surprised or mocking. "Um, yes." She said, straightening. He and the younger man erupted into simultaneous laughter. I find giving my characters a Conscious Perspective Trait really helps me differentiate the character voice more easily. I ask questions that someone with that perspective would ask. The whole idea of you coming to a brick wall with a sledgehammer in hand. How would you verses the person next to you handle it? If your dominant CPT is Efficiency, you might determine going through is faster and easier than over. If your dominant CPT is Enjoyment, you might also choose to go through the wall because who doesn't like smashing things with sledgehammers, am I right? Either way, these two people look at the solution differently, and even how the analyze the wall is going to be different. This also makes for fantastic dialogue conflict.

[@HolliCMcCormick1]

LOVE the font idea

[@Wolf-ge7iz]

I appreciate the examples you give! Love your videos!!!

[@DalCecilRuno]

This is so reassuring! 💜 I do most of these things because I'm writing a dual POV trilogy. Thank you for this video!

[@liveinwonder8626]

Super helpful and thoughtful, thanks Abbie! I have just done the MBTI test on my character, as I'm writing from a male's POV (and I'm not male...). It's very interesting and clarifying. Looking forward to the next videos in the WLW series! 💛

[@Jekoea]

Thanks so much, these are great tips. I recently just started a story and I just jumped in to it no planning whatsoever. and I just stopped and realized I needed to work on my characters and just everything in general.

[@avawhistler6739]

TOTALLY called Book Thief :) And this video came right on time like always! Thanks Abbie!! :)

[@yasutakeuchi]

love your channel so much. Thnak you so much for these videos!

[@dellieborton]

Thank you for these tips!! You have a great way of explaining things!!!

[@mrstheprettyreckless]

Just found your channel and now I'm watching everything, I'm obsessed! Also I'm writing down everything, your tips are very useful, thankssss

[@princesspink1524]

Same!! Lol I just Brought a five subject notebook and I'm ready to write down these tips!!!😂

[@me_yessik]

I found two of your videos in one day that I have really really found useful. Thanx for this.

[@ariana.billett]

This is so, so helpful and motivating! I can tell you really do a lot of research and put a lot of thought and consideration into your character personalities. Have you or can you please do a video on Jane Austin and what makes her writing so good! Or better yet, a series going through and describing, with examples the different things that Austin achieved so perfectly?

[@yuurou7927]

I'm currently readying for a huge fanfic of Love Live. I write gothic horror short stories and adventures mainly before so it's a new genre for me to tackle. However this means so much to me that I have to give it my best. I'm re-evaluating my entire writing process through your videos. A lot of thick mist has been cleared, your channel is exactly what I need.

[@Mouserocksnerd]

The font trick is blowing my mind! I've tried the comic sans trick and tbh it really works! It helps take some pressure off of it and from what I've learned, it's largely because it's a "print" font, like how we learn to write/read (no serifs or fancy a's etc) so it really helps you simplify it visually and keeps your mind focused in the story instead of the task of reading. But wow! Definitely doing the font thing tonight!

[@emmacornett8263]

Alright..... How have I not come across you earlier? This is exactly what I needed. I love writing and I want to be a writer one day. This is the best. Thank you so much

[@LenaLovesgoodStories]

Three additional aspects that I try to implement to strengthen my voice with multiple protagonists: 1. Vary the degree of sensual perception in your characters. Example: I have a protagonist who is a werewolf and she describes sound and smell much more than my other protagonists because she has a heightened perception. But also with normal people, eg an overly intellectual person might describe these less than a more creative, sensual person. 2. Vary the degree of self-reflection. I try to distinguish between characters which are in tune with their feelings, name and reflect on them explicitly - and others with little internal dialogue who show their feelings through actions. 3. Make two characters describe the same place/person in very different ways. Eg one character knows the place inside out, whereas the other is a foreigner. How would their descriptions differ? Or let one protagonist call the same side character by their given name while the other addresses them with Mr... . How do the adjectives they use to describe the same side character differ depending on how much they like them. For example, my one protagonist characterises someone else as "self-confident", whereas the other calls them "bossy".

[@munafausta327]

You make learning so fun, Abbie. I'm so glad I stumbled on your channel and I'm spreading the word likeeeee❤

[@nikkinewbie6014]

Isn’t she the best? 💯

[@munafausta327]

@@nikkinewbie6014 inarguably the best🤗

[@satana8157]

I watched a lot of videos about voice, but nobody could even describe what voice is good enough. But this video was awesome. Not only I understand it really good now, I actually have a toolbox of what I can do to make it happen. Nice job!

[@hayze7276]

This is so helpful, I wish you the best.

[@bigmanmike04]

Thanks for the videos. I'm a new writer and these have been very helpful. I read horror/Sci-Fi/ fantasy all the time, and my friend and I have decided to write a book together.

[@uchihasasuketrini]

You've gained a sub for this information. Thank you so much. A fan from Trinidad and Tobago.

[@missdameenor]

Oh... my... gosh... I am currently reading “story genius” and this content just goes hand in hand with her methods. It’s all becoming so clear now! By the way... Are you starting a Patreon anytime soon?

[@dougarnold7955]

Thanks. 👍 I really enjoy your vids. You have a very effective way of explaining writing. I recently found your channel. Years ago I tried learning the writing process by reading writers digest and so on. I learned some with that. Your channel though is very informative. Thanks.

[@patrickhoscheid7223]

When you say that character voice just "clicks" at some point, I just had that happen a few days ago. It was a huge breakthrough and I couldn't describe it better! Thank you!

[@corkandi]

Hi...Thank you so much. I'm writing my second book but my first adult crime thriller. I was kinda struggling with separating the personalities of the main characters, so your advice and those graphs help a lot. I've subscribed.

[@symmoneg]

7:45 I live in South Dakota! Lol I just get oddly excited when I hear someone mention anything that has to do with where I live

[@mikaylacooney]

I came here already having every character's MBTI type AND different fonts! Apparently I knew more about voice than I gave myself credit for! Thanks for all of the other tips

[@devuajith3479]

I NEED THE JANCY FANFICS. IVE READ ONE BOOK THAT WAS PUBLISHED AND GOSH I LOVED IT.

[@Someone-fn3ij]

"Sure you have the chapter headings that tell the reader whose POV they're reading..." I wish all writers did that, but I've read a couple of books that didn't have that! Always a strange experience, especially in the first few changes

[@jenniferroberts9406]

Characters' pet words & phrases. Preferred metaphors & similes. OMG, thank you!

[@GiI11]

Hi Abbie, Thanks again for another great video. I struggle more with understanding my characters than the driving social forces affecting my world, so voice is particularly a tough nut for me to crack. I'd like to point out that the enneagram might be a better reference than MBTI for some writers.

[@pinkbutterflies260]

I needed this!

[@J_Baxter]

This helped me out a great deal. Series a my character's personality is no different, but my protagonist, I'm having trouble getting his personality down. This helped me a lot 😃

[@mikeljones4673]

Great stuff! I've already written my first novel. But I want to improve it before I send it to the publisher. (Which is why I'm watching a lot of videos like this one these days.) I've already done some of the things you recommended. Like personal catch phrases. For example, one of my female characters says "mister" a lot, when she's being playful, while talking to a man. The main protagonist gets addressed by the women closest to him, as Derrick. His closest male friends shorten his name to Dirk, and his fellow FBI agents call him by his last name or his job-given nickname, "Prof." Things like that. After watching this video, I think I can expand on that quite a bit. Give more uniqueness to all the characters. Thanks so much!

[@victorbryan5482]

This video is gold

[@kathyl6677]

Just glad I'm in the revisions phase. I get to go back and add and change things. So much to look out for. I lead such a "G" rated life, some of this character building/story building has been challenging. (My first lesson was: Why is my story so boring? ans: No conflict.) So much to learn! love it.

[@ncm2738]

God i love this channel. another tip is base your character on a person you know well, ex. friends, family or heck even yourself

[@chanyasworld7269]

I was looking for video like this video, I didn't know how to word this out but this is the exact video I was looking for because Im scared of have my multiple povs sound the same. Thanks soooo much!!!!

[@NatalieThor]

This was an awesome video Abbie! That is interesting, I have began wonder if my writing it good prose. Whereas before my biggest goal was 'does this drawn people in? Are they in experiencing what the character is feeling and seeing?' So I will do myself a favor and drop asking if it is good prose and continue on my merry way! Thanks for more amazing tips! I look forward to throwing them in while I edit!

[@ellal2243]

I get lots of inspiration to write from your videos.🙂

[@graciekuric3570]

I LOVE YOUR TIPS!!!

[@blowietube]

Excellent info -thankyou!

[@angeloposadaz7907]

wrote some short stories and this it the first thing that i noticed, all these characters having the same voice... and inserting myself in there as well hahaha! already subscribed the first video i watched keep it up!

[@magi6704]

I was skeptical about this video when I first clicked it. The thumbnail threw me off a bit. But damn, thank you. I needed that. Informative, logical, no fluff, and thought provoking answers.

[@rutepereira7628]

abbie, ngl the comic sans font thing works. i wrote two entire chapters using that method after being stuck for weeks. also! amazing video as always

[@linglingwannabe9135]

i do interviews with the characters with regard to very random things, like even in a historical setting i might put them in the position of someone that does something they like, like modern au, or give them an interview regarding their setting, and see how they fabricate lies if applicable, and if they do lie, i write down their actual thought process

[@SunnyLovetts]

I'm writing a realistic fantasy epic and your videos contain great advice! If there were more writing nerds out there, you'd have millions of subs for sure ^_^

[@premamuthukumar5352]

4:50 Thats so true, i never thought much about that!! One of my friend says 'Deal with it' a lot and the other says 'Lovely' to basically anything.

[@ItsTheNatShack]

THIS WILL HELP SO MUCH WITH THE INDEPENDENT ANIMATION I'M WORKING ON THANK YOU

[@ismaelvargas-osiris6108]

My first book had four (main) characters and every chapter was written in each one's POV. There was this 8yo happy innocent little girl and her manipulative, obsessive, angst-ish 17yo babysitter; and this smart and reflexive 10yo boy confined to his bedroom and also a cat with ridiculously high levels of self-esteem. Somehow the voices were so unique but I didn't really understand how I made it sound that way, so here I am trying to look behind the curtain in order to perfect the technique. Your videos are such a BIG help for me. Greetings from Mexico!

[@mclcorner4425]

Hello Abby I'm happy to hear that writing fanfiction does help in voicing the character. I'm practicing my English writing by writing fanfiction because seeing other writers describe the same character helped me to write a better description. And I just realized I just "click" with the characters. No wonder it's a fun choice to practice 😁 Feeling less embarrassed now haha

[@antoniodossantos5960]

Thanks Abbie 🌎

[@henryhamilton9574]

I find that as I write what the characters are saying, I'm recalling things from work in the trades about how guys would talk among just guys (and even that would change if they were a group out someplace on the town, rather than a group on a worksite)...and how that language changed when around girls in mixed groups. It was so glaringly obvious that you could see when some guys were just putting on airs. Next one also finds out that if you are the only guy in a group of girls...they almost feel like since they almost have a full monopoly on gender, they can talk about girl-only stuff even with one guy there and you start to see how they are guarded when in mixed groups. The dynamics of socializing changes depending on gender-content in the group. ~HH Thanks Abbie

[@johndambrosio1568]

Have you covered how you do your videos? Including how you edit them. Yours are awesome!

[@congojajo]

Truly appreciated !!!