Friday Favourites - The Way Characters Talk

I can sometimes fall in love, or out of love, with a character simply by the way they talk. Voice in a story is really important. I like characters that have spunk and sass. A certain amount of sarcastic wit works well for me too. Reading dialogue that makes me smile is always a plus.

My next book, Betwixt, has a character I have grown to love as I wrote her. Nicole Tepper has a sharp tongue and a few quirky phrases that made me like her. There's something about the way she speaks that always makes me smile. Even though she's a bit of a bad girl, I find her endearing because of the way she phrases things.

Here's an example:

"I worry my lip as another misdemeanour rushes through my brain. That time I totally dissed Amber's outfit in front of everyone. I was just trying to get her back for borrowing my bracelet and promptly losing it. She actually looked pretty good, but I, of course, had to point out the fact that those particular pants gave her a tiny muffin. Kill me now. I can't believe I actually said that in front of all our friends. I mean her clothes are often too tight and I'd love to go all make over on her, but she'd be so offended if I ever suggested it. Besides, she got me back the next day by  "accidentally" spilling cranberry juice all over my white shirt. The war could have gone on for months if Penny hadn't stepped in with a truce agreement."

What type of character voice do you enjoy?

Writing characters with interesting speech patterns and phrases can bring a book to life, and like I said before, make you fall in love with, or totally sympathise with, a character.

Can you think of any specific characters that have a great way of talking?

MP