The Difference Between Voice and Style in Creative Writing

I've often heard the terms "style" and "voice" used interchangeably when talking about creative writing. They are often mentioned together (or in an either/or scenario), but they are actually two very different concepts.
Both style and voice are important in creative writing and help define you as a writer. They set you apart from all of the other authors in the world and give your writing a fresh, interesting glow.

The Voices Within

Voice is something that can change from story to story or remain static throughout your bibliography. The voice is the cadence and lyricism with which you narrate and write dialogue, particularly when it comes to speaking through the eyes of a particular character. Some writers choose to use the same voices for each of their heroes and heroines, while others prefer to mix it up a bit.

What many creative writers don't realize is that voice doesn't only apply to first-person narratives. In second- and third-person stories, a character's voice (as well as the author's) is demonstrated more subtly, but it's still there in dialogue and interjected thoughts. An African American businessman in his early fifties is going to have a different voice from an eighteen-year-old Caucasian girl. So before you can develop your voice, you must first know your characters.

The Style Without

The difference between style and voice in creative writing is simple. The voice is the word choice and method of speaking and thinking as demonstrated by characters, while style is much more broad. When determining a writer's style, you're talking about the way in which he writes his books, which sounds incredibly vague.

For example, does he write in short, concise paragraphs or long, wordy sentences? Does he use multiple viewpoints in creative writing or just one? A writer's style can be characterized by something as seemingly insignificant as punctuation or as obvious as point of view, but each writer's voice is unique.

The Importance of Style and Voice in Creative Writing

In some cases, both style and voice come naturally to a creative writer, while other times, it has to be developed. Publishers are looking for fresh voices and styles that speak to the reader and set the book apart from all the others. For example, in many of Dean Koontz's books, he introduces a character with serious autism. The voice of that character is truly unique from all other voices in all other books, and it sets the book apart.

The same thing goes for any one of William Faulkner's books. His style is described as "stream of consciousness", which means that the prose flows with the character's own inner monologue. When you develop a style as distinct as stream of consciousness, your work can't help but be recognized.