The voices in your head

[Overread]

No no not the ones that talk on their own, the ones when you read.

I'm sure I'm not alone in that as I read I often imagine the words I'm reading read as if by another voice, or the words a character says being said by that person/voice. So I'm curious if you've got any specific voices in your head; one that comes out for particular characters or stories; or even one that might be generic and used everywhere.


One that stands out to me is David Burke's voice when I read Sherlock Holmes stories. David was the actor who played Watson and also narrated the ITV production series of Sherlock Holmes. I find that his voice seems to sum up that setting so well that it just feels natural to hear that voice when reading the narration style writing of the books.

 

[J Riff]

I have a David Attenborough voice setting in my head. Very convincing.

 

[HareBrain]

Mostly they're just me, disappointingly, unless they have an obvious accent.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I don't have different voices, but I do? By which mean it's like my voice, but each character sounds very slightly different. I'm not sure if 'sounds' is even right, maybe it's more a feeling. It's the same when I read posts around here, you all have your own different voices but all in a very slight way. But it's definitely all based on my own voice because nobody ever has an accent.

 

[Vince W]

I do get different voices if the book is very good. However, if an adaptation is very good, the actor's voices will supersede those. Case in point, whenever I read a Jeeves story now, I always hear Fry and Laurie's voices.

 

[Randy M.]

Depending on the story, I'm somewhat like Vince, especially with first person narratives. In my head "The Tell-Tale Heart" is always narrated by Peter Lorre even though I've never heard him tell that story. Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler's novels frequently sounds like Humphrey Bogart, but sometimes Powers Booth steps in. (Bogart is always Sam Spade; no substitutes allowed.)

For Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone in spite of my enjoyment of Cumberbatch and Miller and especially Jeremy Brett. Watson is more nondescript, no one actor.


Randy M.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Mostly they're just me, disappointingly, unless they have an obvious accent.

Isn't it weird though, that when the 'you' in your mind speaks, it doesn't have an accent? But when the physical you speaks, an accent just seems to be added.

 

[HareBrain]

But when the physical you speaks, an accent just seems to be added.

Do you mean the physical "me" (as in me, not you, "you" meaning VB, as opposed to me, someone else -- someone else relating to you, I mean, not to me), or the physical "one"?

Because if you're trying to say that I have an accent, you're wrong. You're the one with the accent, and I bet I can get witnesses to back me up.

 

[nixie]

I do have voices. Most of the time it is mine but occasionally it is different most notable is Gemmel' s Druss, for some reason he is Billy Connolly.

 

[DelActivisto]

Yeah, I'm pretty vivid. Some writers will remind of an accent every so often, so I'll integrate that aspect into the person's dynamism. I can also imagine music at the same time, which is fun, and when I don't have music on, I can duplicate entire playlists sometimes.

 

[Mouse]

No, I read in my own voice, which is the same in my head as it is when it comes out me gob. Though I've heard my recorded voice and apparently I sound more like a farmer than I imagined, so who knows what's really going on.

 

[HareBrain]

I sound more like a farmer than I imagined

I'm not sure you could sound more like a farmer than I imagined.

*runs away*

 

[Mouse]

I'm not sure you could sound more like a farmer than I imagined.

*runs away*

S'alright, my lover, I'll let 'ee off.

 

[DelActivisto]

S'alright, my lover, I'll let 'ee off.

Your farmers will sound WAY different than southern American farmers.

 

[Mouse]

Obviously.