Struggle Between the Real and the Fictive: The Development of Chinese EFL Learners’ Voice Construction in Short Story Writing

Abstract

The issue of voice has received considerable critical attention in second language writing (SLW) in the past decades. This study intends to enrich the research of voice in the Chinese context, which may mirror some issues in EFL environments. The short story writing process of an English-major undergraduate was particularly analyzed in this study, based on Canagarajah’s (2014) analytical framework for voice analysis. After tracking the writing process for five weeks, it could be found that the student could deliver a rather satisfactory voice effect through her text, although she went through some struggle in the dialogic process. The narrative voice, the plot structure and the character were major features that the student focused on to convey her ideas. The study also provides some insights to EFL/ESL teachers about assisting students to express themselves in English writing.