Voice - Feel it!
Voice is the feeling and emotion used in writing.
The reader can't "see" how a character feels, so the author must "show" these emotions.
We use voice when we describe how a character acts, how they look, how they're saying something, or sprinkle our writing with emotional words.
When I was seven years old Yellow Mama was still with us. During the summer Kirk and I decided we wanted to climb a big rock on the hillside near our house. We were almost to the rock when I saw poor Yellow Mama lying near a brush, dead. I told Kirk to come see what had happened.
We were extremely depressed; we had loved her very much. We decided not to climb the rock. I was crying. When we were running back to the house, mom heard me cryinglike a hurt animal. We told her what had happened and then went into the house.
This story shows us that the narrator feels sad.
Show how the character feels, don't just tell.
Instead of: John was happy.
Try: John's eyes lit up.
Instead of: John was sad.
Try:Tears rolled down his face.
Instead of: John was mad.
Try: John's face was deep red.
Instead of: John was scared.
Try: John was frozen in fear.
Read "First Night Away From Home" and notice the roller coaster of emotions.
There isn't just one feeling, but many different emotions throughout the paper.