The Question:

As I revise the first draft, I realize her voice is uneven. Should I change the MC’s voice to match the seriousness of the story? How do you decide or figure out the MC’s voice? Do you have any advice on how to improve character voice and to make it unique or fresh? Or is this an innate talent that can’t be taught?

Oy, VOICE. While I don't think this is something that can be taught formulaically--since it is so VERY linked to who you and who your characters are--I do think you can learn to bring it out in your writing. I also think you can learn how to identify it in other works, which in turn will help you hone your own voice.First of all, let's try to define "voice." It's one of those illusive terms that people say (annoyingly), "You know it when you see it." Well, I'd like to narrow that down a bit and say,

Voice is the filter through which the point-of-view character expresses thoughts, interactions, reactions, and exposition. This filter dictates a character's diction as well personality and style.Wait a minute, you say. That sounds a lot like point of view! Ah, that's because it IS. A character's point of view is the lens through which he/she sees the world, and voice is an extension of that--voice essentially filters through the point of view.Consider a book like Sarah Rees Brennan's fabulous Unspoken in which the story reaches into dark places but our heroine's voice maintains pluck throughout. Kami Glass's character faces the world with humor, so we see, feel, hear, and experience the world through her witty lens. Her diction is classically British, her personality includes smiling/joking in the face of hardship, and her style is sharp-witted and clever.Now consider Moira Young's Blood Red Road, in which our entire world has a voice. Not only does Saba, the MC, filter the world through her deteriorated English (the diction) and raw, angry spirit (her personality/style), but she reflects back the broken, post-apocalyptic world around her.Okay, let's address the first questions now. Should I change the MC's voice to match the seriousness of the story? And how do you decide on the MC's voice? If, as in the case of our dear questioner, you find yourself with a manuscript in which the voice moves between darker, lighter, poetic, etc. tones, and if you're trying to decide WHICH voice to stick with, I suggest considering this:

What story are you trying to tell? What promises are you wanting to make for the reader?To go back to Unspoken, here we find a gothic tale with a spunky sleuth MC. That's promised from page 1--humor layered over the darkness--and because of this juxtaposition, we end up with a story that never sinks into too much darkness and also never gets fluffy with humor. Brennan promises us a certain tone from page 1, and she follows through with that throughout.The same goes for Blood Red Road. You know as soon as you start reading that the world is gritty, the heroine doesn't take crap from anyone, and she will fight to the death for those she loves. That promise holds throughout the series, and even as Saba's character grows and changes, that raw grittiness never goes away.Now consider, of course, that the tone can change from scene to scene. There will be lighter, softer moments even in a darker book like Torn (by Erica O'Rourke) and there will be sad, hard moments in lighter book like The Princess Bride (by William Goldman). But overall, those books definitely skew in two very different tonal/voice directions.So in what direction do you want your story to skew?If you're not sure, then consider what audience you're trying to reach. Are you trying to reach readers of dark contemporary? Humorous paranormal? List out some comparative titles, and then base your voice decision around what THOSE authors do. To help you out, here are some examples of titles you might peruse for inspiration (I'm just looking at my shelves--hence the slant toward fantasy and paranormal!):Darker Stories with Lighter/Humorous Voices:

• Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

• Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

• Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark

• Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

Darker Stories with Darker Voices:

• Blood Red Road by Moira Young

• Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

• Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

• Angel's Blood by Nalini Singh

Lighter Stories with Lighter Voices:

• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

• Howl's Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones

• The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

• Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

So, there you have my introduction to Voice and Promises.