The Character House, Pt. 9: The Windows of Voice and Vulnerability

You’re reading a novel, and the characters display solid backstories, heart-tugging fears, and strong goals. But for some reason, you still can’t connect with them.

The Character House identifies two possible reasons for this missing connection.

Today’s post explores the Windows, which represent the character’s Voice and Vulnerability.

In a real house, windows allow residents to look outside, and they allow neighbors to see inside. By analogy, the windows of the Character House represent voice—the lens through which the character views the world. The windows also represent vulnerability—the glimpses that others get into the character’s weaknesses, fears, and insecurities.

Voice: Looking Out the Windows

Voice refers to the unique way a character narrates based on personality, backstory, emotions, and other factors. Just as every window overlooks unique scenery, every character views the world from a distinctive perspective.

When you write from a character’s point of view (POV), you describe everything through that character’s voice. An EMT would use different words than an animator, and a basketball player would notice different details than an engineer.

1. Consider the character’s background.

Backstory shapes many components of the Character House, including narrative voice. If your character grew up hiding pain with humor, she might fill her narration with funny observations, especially under stress. If your character grew up in a dangerous area, he might pay close attention to potential hazards around him.

Narration also reveals other aspects of the character’s background, such as occupation, education, and interests. When describing a room, an artist might describe the glass beads on a lamp and the pattern in a rug, while an architect might notice the vaulted ceiling and arched windows.

2. Choose words and details carefully.

Effective narrative voices use words with precise connotations. When you choose details that imply positive or negative emotions, you can convey your character’s opinions without directly stating them.

Picture two characters hiking. One might describe the sweet scent of leaves and the dappled light dancing on the pathway. These details have positive connotations, implying that this character enjoys the outdoors. By contrast, the other character might focus on the muddy path and the itchy mosquito bites. These details have negative connotations, implying that this character dislikes the outdoors. In both examples, the details reflect each character’s emotions and attitudes.

3. Filter the thoughts through the character’s perspective.

Instead of merely stating that the character is thinking something, place the actual thoughts in the narration. Consider these examples from a hypothetical middle grade novel:

Original: As I got the mail, motion caught my eye. In the driveway next door, two kids my age helped their dad unload the moving truck. I debated whether to go over and introduce myself.
Revised: As I got the mail, motion caught my eye. In the driveway next door, two kids my age helped their dad unload the moving truck. Introducing myself would be the polite thing to do, but they looked busy. Plus, they hadn’t been here for more than an hour. Best to give them time to settle in.

While the original version tells us what the narrator is thinking, the revised version shows us the narrator’s thoughts, forging a stronger connection with the audience.

4. Let characters share their thoughts and opinions.

Just like real people, characters should have opinions—they like this activity, they dislike this person, they find one food delicious and another one disgusting. Allowing characters to share their opinions will enliven their narrative voices.

The first few pages of The Thing with Feathers by McCall Hoyle reveal that Emilie, who has epilepsy, doesn’t want to go to public school, but her mom is making her try it for three months. By allowing her narrator to express clear opinions, Hoyle immediately reveals Emilie’s goal and problem. These insights into her character create an instant reader connection.

Vulnerability: Looking Into the Windows

Vulnerability means that your characters have weaknesses and fears that may contradict the facade they present to the world. They don’t share their deepest fears and dreams with total strangers.

To show vulnerability, you can use the following method, adapted from writing professor Daniel Schwabauer.

Step 1: Choose a vulnerability.

Look at your character’s outward self—the image that the rest of the world sees. For example, others might know your character as a bubbly friend or an arrogant supervisor.

Now consider what weaknesses, insecurities, struggles, and fears would contradict this outward facade. Your bubbly character might use enthusiasm to hide loneliness, while your arrogant character’s pride may conceal a fear of inferiority. These struggles often stem from painful past experiences.

Step 2: Establish our expectations.

In the early chapters of your story, show your character acting according to the facade. Your bubbly character might laugh with friends and organize fun activities for everyone. Your arrogant character might boast and boss others around. This outward facade isn’t necessarily false, but it’s also not the whole story.

Step 3: Drop hints about the character’s hidden tendencies.

As the story continues, show a contradiction between your character’s visible and hidden tendencies. Maybe your bubbly character heads home after school and feels desperately lonely, or your arrogant character becomes unreasonably furious at a minor insult.

Step 4: Break our expectations with a vulnerable moment.

A vulnerable moment reveals the character’s hidden tendencies. Your bubbly character opens up to a friend about feelings of loneliness. Your arrogant character reveals the fear of inferiority caused by a past failure.

This four-step approach parallels the process of getting to know real people. Initially, we see who they are at a surface level, but as we get to know them better, we glimpse the truth beneath the exterior facade. Vulnerable moments allow the readers to understand the characters deeply.

The Windows of Voice and Vulnerability

In the Character House, the Windows have two functions. From the inside, the windows represent narrative voice. You can develop distinctive voices by choosing words with precise connotations, revealing personality through narration, letting your characters share their opinions, and providing glimpses into their thoughts.

From the outside, the windows allow readers to view the character’s vulnerability. You can create vulnerable moments by (1) choosing a vulnerability that seems to contradict the character’s external facade, (2) building readers’ expectations, (3) hinting to the truth behind the exterior, and (4) revealing the character’s inward self.

The tools of voice and vulnerability can enable your readers to truly experience each scene along with your characters.

What are your favorite tools for developing distinctive narrative voices? How do you prefer to show your characters’ vulnerabilities?