The Writer’s Playground Series – Voice Mimicry

Voice Mimicry

• Objective: To analyze and replicate the core elements of an author’s unique voice.
• How to Play: The facilitator reads a paragraph from an author with a highly distinct style (e.g., Ernest Hem-ingway, Virginia Woolf, Raymond Chandler). The group is then given a mundane topic (e.g., “instructions for making toast,” “describing a trip to the grocery store”). Each writer must then write a paragraph on that topic in the authorial voice they just heard.
• Best for: Developing narrative voice, stylistic flexibility, and close reading skills.

Authors with Distinctive Styles

This list provides a wide range of recognizable voices from different eras and genres. The challenge is to capture the essence of their style—their rhythm, vocabulary, and worldview.

• Ernest Hemingway (Short, declarative sentences; sparse, direct prose)
• William Faulkner (Long, labyrinthine sentences; stream of consciousness; Southern Gothic)
• Raymond Chandler (Hardboiled similes; cynical, world-weary tone; staccato rhythm)
• Jane Austen (Witty, ironic social commentary; complex, balanced sentences; formal language)
• H.P. Lovecraft (Archaic language; adjectives of cosmic dread like “eldritch” and “cyclopean”)
• Edgar Allan Poe (Gothic, melancholic tone; focus on psychological states; ornate vocabulary)
• Virginia Woolf (Poetic stream of consciousness; focus on internal thoughts and sensory details)
• Cormac McCarthy (Bleak, biblical prose; sparse punctuation; long, unpunctuated sentences)
• Kurt Vonnegut (Simple, direct language; satirical tone; dark humor; short paragraphs)
• Ray Bradbury (Nostalgic, lyrical prose; heavy use of metaphor and simile)
• Hunter S. Thompson (Frenetic, first-person “Gonzo” journalism; exaggeration and profanity)
• J.R.R. Tolkien (Epic, formal tone; detailed, mythic descriptions; archaic language)
• Dr. Seuss (Playful rhymes and invented words; anapestic tetrameter)
• Charles Dickens (Long, descriptive sentences; social commentary; memorable, quirky characters)
• Stephen King (Conversational, colloquial narrator; detailed descriptions of mundane American life)
• Douglas Adams (Absurdist, witty, satirical sci-fi; long, parenthetical asides)
• Toni Morrison (Rich, poetic language that blends the lyrical with the brutal)
• Neil Gaiman (Modern fairytale style; conversational yet mythic tone)
• David Foster Wallace (Extremely long, footnote-heavy sentences; blend of academic and colloquial tones)
• J.D. Salinger (Specifically Holden Caulfield’s cynical, rambling, colloquial teenage voice)
• Chuck Palahniuk (Short, punchy, repetitive sentences; transgressive themes)
• James Joyce (Dense stream of consciousness; wordplay and allusions)
• Emily Dickinson (As prose: fragmented sentences, heavy use of dashes, unusual capitalization)
• Walt Whitman (As prose: long, cataloging sentences; celebratory and expansive tone)
• George R.R. Martin (Gritty, realistic fantasy; focus on sensory details, especially food)

Mundane Topics

The humor and the challenge of the game come from applying one of the grand styles above to one of these utterly boring subjects.

• Describing how to make toast.
• Writing the instructions for assembling a piece of IKEA furniture.
• Explaining how to parallel park a car.
• A step-by-step guide to doing a load of laundry.
• Complaining about a slow internet connection.
• The experience of waiting in line at the DMV.
• Writing a product review for a new blender.
• Describing the contents of a refrigerator.
• Giving directions to the nearest gas station.
• Explaining how to change a lightbulb.
• The process of taking out the trash and recycling.
• Reading the “Terms and Conditions” of a software update aloud.
• Describing the random items in a junk drawer.
• Explaining how to properly water a houseplant.
• The feeling of being on hold with customer service.
• A guide to cleaning a food-splattered microwave.
• How to make a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
• The act of brushing one’s teeth.
• The futile struggle of trying to fold a fitted sheet.
• Navigating the self-checkout machine at the grocery store.
• The sharp, sudden pain of stepping on a LEGO brick.
• Trying to untangle a knot of old power cords.
• Filling out a tax form.
• Watching a pot of water slowly come to a boil.
• Describing the weather right now outside your window.