Daydreaming, contemplating, drifting… Throughout the day, we find ourselves in a blurred vision, yet imaginative mind at such moments. This unexpected and sudden peak of creativity in the brain brings us visions and insights to enjoy.
This can happen at different times. After you wake up while your brain is rebooting your system, during a lunch break when you find some peace with nothing else to do, or in the sweetest spot of your sleep.
Sometimes they can be the result of a reaction to what you are doing. And then I think you are half awake and half dreaming. For example, if you’re concentrating on a task and you can’t hear anything else, you’re in a transitive moment. Technically, you are hearing the sounds around you, but your brain is tunneling itself to focus on the task. A quiet, peaceful, focused and half hypnotised, half conscious moment.
It’s interesting because how can you concentrate on one thing at a time and not react to everything else you normally experience in a day and every time? After thinking about this, I tried to find out when this happens to me most. I think when I immerse myself in reading it becomes more visible in a way. It also happens when I am writing. Hours go by, just like that.
And when I read it, I realised something even more beautiful. This transition brings an inner realisation. You can try it yourself. When you read something, for example this article, take your time, don’t rush. As you do so, you will begin to hear a voice within you. This is your inner voice, or what is called your narrative voice.
It will probably be your own voice, but there is more of it, which is definitely my favourite. When you read a story and you get to know the characters in pages, you develop an idea of them. Whenever they speak, you start to get a sense of, let’s say, cynicism, anger, joy, or logic, whatever their current emotion is. Within those emotions, their voices (which you have created for them in your mind) will reliably change.
When a wizard speaks, you can hear the wisdom in his voice, the experience, or perhaps it is a baby, you can hear its wailing voice or its cute giggles. You create the sounds and sound effects in your mind. Isn’t it amazing how your inner voice works?
In short, we can say that when we read stories, our minds tend to adapt the narrative voice to the character whose perspective we are experiencing. This is indeed a complex mental process, closely linked to our ability to empathise, imagine and engage with the narrative.
But I would like to categorise it for you so that you can distinguish it in a simpler and more understandable way.
1. Narrative Perspective:
First Person: In stories told in the first person, where the narrator is a character within the story, the reader often finds themselves adopting the voice of that character. This can lead to a more direct and personal connection with the character’s thoughts and feelings.
Third Person Limited/Omniscient: Even in third-person narratives, where an external narrator is telling the story, readers can still adopt a voice that matches the character they are focusing on. The narrator can provide insight into the character’s thoughts and feelings, and influence the way the reader perceives them.
2. Characterization:
Distinctive Traits: The way a character is written — through their dialogue, actions and thoughts — creates a distinct personality. Readers naturally internalise these traits and may find themselves “hearing” the character’s voice in their minds.
Writing Style: Authors often use a specific writing style to convey a character’s unique voice. This can include sentence structure, vocabulary and even the rhythm of the prose. Readers pick up on these cues and adapt their inner reading voice accordingly.
3. Reader’s Imagination:
Empathy and Imagination: Readers have a remarkable ability to empathise and put themselves in the characters’ shoes. As they engage with the story, their imagination comes into play, allowing them to create a mental voice that matches the character’s personality and the tone of the narrative.
Visualising the Characters: Readers often visualise characters in their minds, and this visualisation can extend to imagining the character’s voice. If a character is described as having a particular accent or tone of voice, readers may incorporate these details into their mental picture.
4. Reader’s Experience:
Cultural and Personal Factors: A reader’s cultural background, personal experiences and individual preferences can influence how they interpret and internalise a character’s voice. What may resonate strongly with one reader may be interpreted differently by another.
Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash
If you need an example, here is one. This was my favourite, by Bo Burnham, called “Magic”.
Read this to yourself. Read it silently. Don’t move your lips. Don’t make a sound. Listen to yourself. Listen without hearing anything. What a wonderfully weird thing, huh?
NOW MAKE THIS PART LOUD! SCREAM IT IN YOUR MIND! DROWN EVERYTHING OUT. Now, hear a whisper. A tiny whisper.
Now read this next line with your best crotchety-old-man voice: “Hello there, sonny. Does your town have a post office?” Awesome! Who was that? Whose voice was that? It sure wasn’t yours!
How do you do that? How?! Must be magic.
It is indeed magical and really gives the story a theatrical feel. Honestly, I like to spend most of my time reading slowly and getting into the character. It is a fun and memorable way to enjoy the book. It is like a silent but loud way of practising and playing.
The next time you read, I suggest you enjoy it. Do your best and don’t move your lips. Use your brain power. Or is it magic?
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