Writing Writing Writing: Voice

 

VOICE

There are two different voices in which ethnographers write: Their own and those of their informants

Greatest concern is how to capture and represent our informants voices authentically.

• voice should bring humanity to the experience
• voice should be "textually embodied"
• test: read your work out load. Does it sound like you?
• Be a relaxed writer and begin by writing quickly. let go of your inner editor and just write. Your inner editor can come back later in the writing process.
• emulate the work of writers you enjoy. Why do you like their writing?

Writing in the Voice of Our Informants:

• you should never embarrass your informants
• gestures used to clarify direct quotes are put in []
• be careful how you use first (we, I), second (you, they), and third (one, she a woman) person in your writing. First person is most evocative, but third person can give a sense of distance, being ignored, or emotional content like disassociation if used properly. Second person is almost never used in ethnography.

Active/Passive Voice:

• Active voice is best and shows that the unfolding story is dynamic.
• This ethnography explores... versus In this ethnography I explore...
• use active voice by identifying the "actor" things dont happen by themselve
• Adverbs (get rid of them) replace them with action verbs
• change these to verbs "slowly walked", "lovingly touched", "spoke loudly"
• SHOW don't tell
• thick description (Geertz)
• invites readers into the world of your ethnography
• compelling details draw the reader into the story
• details bring context (immerse your reader)
• sensual and visceral
• Can you identify compelling details from your fieldnotes????
• tell a story rather than "use a quote"
• Can you write a character sketch of a composite character from your research (name, characteristics, background story)

Conversations:

• include conversations in your writing if you have recorded them
• more natural speech
• has context within it
• you CAN create a conversation that happened between you and the informant (with a composite) totally kosher!
• Many ways 
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