on Fiction University:

Unique, stand-out characters have unique, stand-out voices, so it’s important to consider how every character in your book sounds.

I’m the kind of writer who doesn’t do a lot of character work before I start a novel, but one of the first things I figure out is voice. For me, what a character sounds like is how I learn who they are and what their backstory is. I usually know a few details going in, but the bulk of my characters get revealed as I write them.

The more distinct your character voices are, the easier it is for readers (and you, honestly) to keep track of who’s who. If your witty rogue, your brooding warrior, and your quiet scholar all speak and think in identical ways, readers won’t just get confused—they’ll stop believing in the characters as people.

Because voice is how a character thinks, but it’s also seen in what they notice and why, and how they convey information in the story. For example, a scatterbrained character might leap from thought to thought, while detail-oriented character might weigh every possibility before deciding, showing readers how they process all that information in their internalization.