Getting the voice right

Two entries into the Global Short Story Competition over the past 24 hours worked because of the voice used by the authors.
Voice is what the reader hears when reading the story, the narrator of the story be it third person or first person.
Writers use several types of voices to narrate stories and the key thing is that that voice remains consistent, that it is the same throughout.
The stories that came in were split; one used a conversational voice (first person), where it fees like the narrator is engaged in a conversation with you, the reader, the other used formal voice (third person) where the narrator is detached from the main character but still gives powerful insights into their personality.
Both worked because the voice engaged the reader, made it feel real.
John Dean