A Character's Voice

In critique groups, I often ask a member whether he wants the reader to hear (through reading) the characters voice in the way it was read.  The reader reads the dialogue in the voice he hears as he writes and edits it.  How do you convey that sound, that unique way of speaking that is part of the character you are creating and developing?

Four ways:

1.     Sentence structure: requires that the author be skilled and have a degree of mastery of the craft of writing- vocabulary, grammar and imagination.  Also, a sense of patience and dedication to do it right, to be thorough and diligent in producing the words and syntax that will make the character's voice reflected in the mind of the reader.

2.     Word emphasis: almost any word in a sentence can be emphasized, vocally, and emphasizing different words give the sentence different connotations.

Italicize the correct word for the reader to emphasize.

3.     Dialect: it takes effort and consistency to illustrate in writing what a word sounds like the way the character pronounces it.  It is essential, however, if you want the character to be authentic.

4.     Cadence: use punctuation- commas, m-dash and ellipsis to match the writing to the stops and starts, hesitations and pauses in the character's speech.

These instructions are probably listed in many books and articles.  I made them up, however, this morning over a cup of tea.