Episode 218 - Our  writer's voice.

Episode 218 - Our writer's voice.

From Essential Guide to Writing a Novel by James Thayer

May 22, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of a writer's voice and how to develop it, along with the use of contrast in writing.

What is a singular attribute that separates Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Alan Poe? Their literary voices. Here are thoughts on our own voices: if and how we should try to develop them. Also: the strong tool of contrast, when the character contrasts with the setting. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and a...

People in this episode

Host: James Thayer

Topics covered

  • writer's voice
  • literary voices
  • character contrast
  • fiction writing
  • developing voice

Keywords

  • writer's voice
  • literary voice
  • contrast
  • fiction writing
  • character development
  • plot
  • dialogue

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