Beginning Quote by James Scott Bell
“The thing I do at the beginning is a "voice journal," a free form doc that is the character speaking to me. I just work on it until I start to hear different from my own, or the other characters.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Writing Tips with James Scott Bell, 2019
The author uses a voice journal to separate his own voice from characters, allowing deeper immersion and distinct character perspectives.
In simple terms: Voice journals help differentiate author and character voices.
Key Takeaway
Use voice journals to hear characters speak uniquely.
Themes
writing
creativity
character development
voice
process
Mood
inspirational
practical
Type
creative
educational
When to use this quote
- novel drafting
- character workshops
- creative brainstorming
Key Concepts
Narrative technique
psychology of voice
method writing
Questions to Reflect On
- How does hearing a character's voice change your story?
- What challenges arise when voices clash?
A Different Perspective
May be time‑consuming and harder for some writers.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
