Little Random Crumbs About Writing

The Male Voice

I've read a novel here, written by a girl, at okay naman siya noong nasa female pov part ako. Pero nang mapadpad ako sa male pov, kataka-takang babae rin ang boses nito. Paanong nangyari iyon e base mismo sa description niya'y brusko ito? Bakit parehas sila ng boses?

You might say I'm being delusional. Anong pinagsasasabi mo author? E nagbabasa ka lang naman, hindi ka nakikinig ng voice recording?

Let me remind you that the characters you create in your story must be realistic. They might be fictional, pero kapag in-imagine sila ng reader sa kanilang narration, dialogue, at actions ay dapat tugma sa kung anong nakasulat sa kwento.

So if you chose to write in the male perspective, at babae ka, you must sound like a boy in writing. Same thing with writing in female perspective, at lalaki kang writer, dapat magboses kang babae.

Compared to the two, the male voice is the hardest one to achieve. At kahit ako mismo, na isang lalaki, ay nahihirapang gawin ito. Seryoso. Hindi ko rin alam kung bakit. In writing with the male voice kasi, mas nafo-focus ka sa pagtanggal ng kung ano-anong salita that would make him sound girly. Words like gosh, oh my god, and the likes. Actions like he pouted.

Let me clarify, there's absolutely nothing wrong if a boy says the words gosh, oh my god, or if he pouts to make himself cute. 

But in written form, you don't want your reader to be distracted or confused. If you presented your male character as broody, snob, then make him sound like one.

And how would you do that?

Lessen the conyo.

There's nothing bad with being conyo. Minsan, feeling ko nga, conyo na ako magsalita eh. But beware. Too much would confuse your reader if nasa male pov nga ba talaga sila or sa female pov.

Talk less.

I know some of you would contradict dahil may mga kaibigan tayong lalaki na masyado rin namang madaldal. But this is one trick I do in my stories to make them believable. A boy doesn't always talk with longer sentences, most of the time maiikli lang. But I may be wrong. Base lang naman kasi ito sa aking obserbasyon.

Know his curse words.

Characters who say tae, gagi, pota, ampucha, and the likes, are automatically male characters to me. I know, I know, some girls say those words too. But boys usually talk with those words added in their dialogues.

Know their most used greeting

I have male friends who greet everyone with boi, some call their friends bro, pre, dre, pare, par, man, men, o kung anu-ano pa. But my advice? If you chose one among every available expressions, stick to just one, so that whenever we read a dialogue with it, alam agad nating siya iyon, without checking the dialogue tag.

Observe

Iyan ang huli kong maipapayo. Kulang pa kasi ang mga sinabi ko rito at nakasalalay ang karamihan mula sa pag-obserba mo sa mga lalaking kaibigan mo, o sa mga lalaking characters sa movies. Better to read a novel kung saan ang point of view ay sa lalaki at i-analyze mo kung paano niya nakuha ang boses.

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So ano? Agree or disagree?

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