Recently, a writing friend asked me to help her with her protagonist’s voice. Like most writers, she wanted the voice to be more distinctive and memorable. Initially, I wasn’t sure what tips I could give her.  I’d never broken down how I developed my protagonists’ voices. So, I spent some time reading craft blogs and thinking about this topic. I learned a ton. Below are ten suggestions to help strengthen your protagonist’s voice that will naturally draw readers into your story.

1. Draw from your brothers and sisters. Before writing, sometimes, I think about how my sister and I see events from our childhood very differently. The inner narratives she and I have told ourselves have motivated us to create polar opposite lives. Remind yourself that it’s that same unique perspective that drives fictional stories, and you’ll be more apt to focus on your protagonist’s POV and grab your readers’ attention.
2. Know your protagonist inside and out. How you go about getting to know the protagonist is a personal choice. Some writers create character sketches, others answer lists of questions, and some base their characters on people they know. Bottomline, knowing what your protagonist thinks, feels, wants and fears is the first step in getting their innermost thoughts down onto the page and developing a strong voice. So, if your protagonist doesn’t feel like a best friend or a frenemy, spend time with them and get to know them.
3. Read first-person YA novels. Most YA novels are written in the first person, and they’re also very voicey. If you’re struggling to develop your protagonist’s voice, reading some YA novels could inspire you. One of my favorite YA books is Nova Ren Suma’s Imaginary Girls. I also love John Green’s voice in Looking for Alaska.
4. Read adult books with amazing voices, too.  When it comes to voice, I love Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
5. Ground your protagonist. When thinking about voice, don’t ignore sounds, sights, smells, time, place, and who’s around. Voice isn’t just about thoughts. It’s what you’re your protagonist sees, hears, and smells too. Want more details? Jason Bougger’s post from his blog writegoodbooks.com, Seven Ways to Get Inside Your Character’s Head, addresses this topic.
6. Once you’ve written them, skim your scenes to ensure that your protagonist is present. Make sure they haven’t gotten lost or overshadowed. Sometimes, when another character does something interesting or exciting in a scene, we forget whose story we’re telling.  Even if your protagonist is simply watching someone leap out of a plane, you have to make the watching more exciting than the leaping. Focus on why the protagonist’s heart is thudding in her chest. What’s at stake for her if the jumper’s parachute doesn’t deploy? Action can be internal and quiet. It doesn’t have to be external or loud.
7. Write daily. Conversation flows when you’re in contact with a friend daily. It’s the same with protagonists. For the words to seep from your head onto the page, it helps if the protagonist feels familiar.
8. Limit the number of POV characters if your focus is voice. I recently attended a conference where several agents spoke about the recent trend of books with multiple POV characters. While this POV choice can work, if you want to prioritize voice, consider honing in on one or two POV characters. Think The Bachelor group date versus a one-on-one date.  No Bachelor contestant wants a group date because she’s afraid the bachelor won’t get to know her and give her a rose. If you want readers to love and connect with your protagonist’s voice, give her a one-on-one date. Make her the single POV in your novel.
9. Write a first draft or an outline where you don’t think about voice, and you’re simply getting the plot down. This will free you up to focus on voice and other subtlies during your second draft.
10. Consider applying dialects and accents to your protagonist’s thoughts to strengthen his voice. Mark Twain used a Southern American dialect in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn even when conveying Fin’s thoughts when he wrote his classic. You don’t need to limit accents to your dialogue.

I hope the above ideas have helped you think differently about the concepts of voice and protagonists. Please comment and let me know. Also, if you have additional thoughts on creating protagonists with unique voices, I’d love to hear your takes! Keep writing!