BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / How do you find your characters' voices in fanfiction writing?

**Posted by saturnR** April 1, 2013 11:14 am

If you're writing fanfic for Sherock or any other genre, do you hear the actors's voices in your head? I literally hear them say my lines before I put it on paper/computer but I can't "see" very well - like I don't imagine them doing the actions but I can always hear them saying the dialogue.

Last edited by saturnR (April 1, 2013 12:00 pm)

**Posted by crazybbcamerican** April 1, 2013 1:16 pm

You'll get there, it just takes lots of practice. I tend to see the facial expressions when I write the words, which is a bit not good for my readers, because I have a tendency to not write those details down. It's just one of the myriad of details you learn to go back and look for when you re-read your own work.

Sometimes, though, I think some of those details are left vague on purpose, just to engage the reader more. Re-read your favorite book, look at how many of the facial expressions/actions during dialog that only happen in your head and aren't printed on the page in front of you. Especially in serials and longer novels. I believe the author trusts the reader enough once they have set the character in concrete for you to pick up some of that stuff later.

That's just my opinion, though, as a long-time reader of anything I could get my hands on, from Plato to Poe to King and Gaiman.

Last edited by crazybbcamerican (April 1, 2013 1:17 pm)

**Posted by Schmiezi** April 2, 2013 9:46 am

I usually see many scenes in my head, like on TV, and most of the times I also try to "be" one of the characters in my imagination to find out how you would feel in this situation or that.

(It's something I'm used to doing every night to fall asleep, so it comes to me rather easily.)