Identifying & Fixing ‘Voice Gap’

Over the course of my writing and editing adventures, I've noticed a weakness that only occurs in projects that have taken the author a long time to complete. This weakness is caused by something that might otherwise be seen as a positive thing: Refining your writing style over time.

The risk is that if you allow your project to linger, to sit around for over six months, for example, you might have learned too much about writing during the rather extended process. But this risk doesn't always have to do with an improvement of your technique. You might have simply changed radically over time. This could result in the same quality (but a different take on it due to real-life experiences) or (if you take a particularly long time off, for example) even worse quality at the end of your manuscript.

This phenomenon is called 'voice gap'. Voice gap is the difference between your writing voice at the start of a project, and your writing voice when you finally finish the first draft of a manuscript. This is one of the reasons editors tell you not to let a project linger too long. They want you to finish your manuscript as efficiently as you can, in order to present a consistent voice throughout.

How Do You Detect Voice Gap? 

An editor will likely detect a severe change in writing voice, but at that point you might be multiple drafts in, and you're already investing money in the editing process. It is far less expensive and easier to correct voice gap during the second draft.

So early detection is key. The overall goal is to figure out what you've learned in the intervening time and apply the same rules throughout the entire manuscript when you resume editing.

Some examples: 

•   You've found yourself using numbers early on but learned more recently that most readers prefer the spelled-out version of smaller numbers. You can detect this by searching for significant numbers that recur in your book and note where you changed your style. Rework the earlier parts to match.

•   You might have recently stopped using certain filler words, or at least lessened their frequency. But the earlier part of your manuscript is littered with them. The key here is to search half of your document at a time and compare the frequency. For example, if you use the phrase 'and then' too often, search the first 50% of the novel for that phrase, and then the second. If you find a ton more occurrences early on, you know what you need to correct in draft number two.

•   You may have used proper names too often, particularly in scenes between only two characters, or even solo scenes. Later on, you use pronouns more often when it is obvious who is speaking or acting. Use the same split search technique above, for proper names. If you see a spike in the first half, even though the character appearance is fairly consistent throughout, you know what to correct. 

Traps To Avoid While Fixing Voice Gap 

There is a temptation to constantly go back and 'fix' your voice gap over and over again, particularly if the rewrite or editing process is long. Don't obsess! If you keep playing with the document every time you tweak your style, you will never publish anything. The key is to present an even, reliable voice specifically on the second draft. Once you've done that, let the editors and beta readers make determinations as to what you can improve.

You can present your growth and your new talent when you write the next novel. Remember: Your art is a snapshot of you at that time. There's something to be said for ‘rawer’ prose. Your main responsibility is to lock in a voice standard for that particular novel. So, correct the drifting that happens when you let a project drag on too long, and then move on to the next one.

Once you've fixed all of your voice gap issues, you'll be able to confidently refine future drafts, knowing that you aren't wasting your editor's time (which you pay for) or losing the interest of your beta readers with a meandering voice.

Manuscript Assessments & Voice Gap

Manuscript assessments (also known as manuscript appraisals, manuscript critique, manuscript review, and sometimes literary critique) provide a comprehensive report on your manuscript draft. Your book doctor will scrutinise your manuscript from beginning to end, flagging any issues pertaining to plot, structure, dialogue, characterisation, and of course style. This will include alerting you to any voice inconsistencies associated with voice gap, providing tailored advice on how to go about correcting these issues in the most time-efficient and economical way possible.

Manuscript assessments allow you to revisit your draft with fresh eyes, strengthening the weaker elements of your book with precision and confidence.

If you’d like to find out more about our manuscript assessments, get in touch.