#My500Words Challenge: Day 19

The Challenge

Steal someone's voice

The 500 Words

Stealing the voice of another writer just seems wrong to me. I understand the purpose of the writing exercise, but I would hate to think that my voice could be so easily replicated and/or imitated. It sort of detracts from the notion that a writer’s voice is authentic and stands out. It defeats the purpose, does it not?

So to make things more interesting, I’m going to take a basic observation and write it from the POV of four of my characters: Lindsey Bennett, Boston Mansfield, Meredith Mansfield, and Louise Holt. The observation is when a girl who won a state beauty pageant does a presentation for their office.

Lindsey

She was pretty, like a ridiculously perfect kind of pretty. Her hair was perfectly coifed, her make-up was flawless, and her outfit had been assembled to compliment her in every conceivable way. The way she spoke suggested confidence, but there was a slight hint of insecurity; this girl was definitely out of her element, but she did her absolute best to hold herself together. Lindsey had to give her props for pushing through, especially because the girl could tell she was being judged. Still, Lindsey had a feeling that all it would take to break her would be a strong handshake.

Boston

She kept throwing him “smizing” glances, and he could tell she thought he was cute. He could usually tell when a girl was showing interest. Unfortunately they usually only cared because he was cute, not because he had a stellar personality. The minute they learned he was a comic book nerd the good looks lost their appeal. He wondered which superhero she would dress up as if given the opportunity. His money was on the damsel in distress, the girl who dreamed of being rescued. Too bad that wasn’t his type. He wanted a Wonder Woman, not a mere Lois Lane.

Meredith

Nerves. That’s what this girl was feeling. While her face gave the impression that she was ready for anything, her eyes weren’t quite in agreement. Her voice was strong, and as she continued to speak to them, she became a bit more grounded. She smiled brightly, laughed at herself occasionally, and made sure to ask for feedback along the way. She seemed nice enough, but she needed to have a little more bite if she wanted to make it in this business.

Louise

If sunshine could take human form, this girl would definitely be a front-runner. She radiated optimism and light like Louise wished she could. Sure, Louise was charming and witty, but people like this girl had a genuine sincerity about them. Not to say Louise wasn’t sincere, but being an actor always brought in the question of authenticity. This girl was inspiring, she had to be if she won a pageant, and that was something Louise couldn’t help but hate her for. Love-hate; she loved the way this girl could make you feel, but hated that she couldn’t replicate that same kind of feeling.