Character Voice

Character Voice is how the Character speaks in terms of vocal traits, ticks, patterns, vocabulary, and accents (which say much about who a character is); an amalgamation of a character's historical self, idiosyncratic quirks, and emotional state; playwrights work to present a consistent voice for each character.

A character voice arises mostly out of various given circumstances. Different qualities to the character will create different ways of speaking. A well-educated character may speak with obnoxiously-perfect grammar. A Southerner may have a southern accent.

But like all given circumstances, the life in a Character Voice is how that voice comes to bare on the Action. Dialogue is just Tactic, after all. When each word serves a good Action, it will pop, because it's contributing to the Conflict, and moving the story along.

Finding a Voice
Like an actor, sometimes you can work from the inside out, sometimes you can work from the outside in. It could be that you like the way a Southern accent sounds, and you really want to play with the rhythm and the twang. Play with it! You may find that you like what this character is saying most when they get flustered - and pretty soon you're writing a scene where one Obstacle is that they get flustered. An Action might suggest itself, since you're going to need some Conflict with that Obstacle.

What's important in this case is that you go back, after you've written the full scene, and double check that the Character's Voice is arising from their Action. You may notice that a couple of your colloquialisms that you were using just for the fun of it don't necessarily fit anymore.

Other times, you may be writing a scene, and at the height of the scene, one or more of your characters may actually surprise you by what they say. That's good! Characters tend to only express themselves fully when they have no other option. Think about it, do you walk around telling everyone about the inner workings of your mind? Probably not - but if you were about to get kicked out of school you might just let loose and see what comes out.

Now that you know this new information about your character, again, go back and double check to see it fits with the rest of what the character does.

"Speaking" to the Audience
Ever have a character "speak to you?" Not literally talking to the audience - that's a monologue. BUt maybe they've said something you've always thought but never said out loud. Maybe you thought you were the only one who thought that way. Maybe they put expressed something that opened you up to a new perspective.

Whether a character "speaks" to someone, or not, is not actually under your control. It's more a bi-product of writing a specific character, with a strong Action, and a good story.