 For Authors: December 11, 2024 Issue [#12885] |
This week: What's Your Style? Edited by: Lilith🎄🦌Christmas Cheer  
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I discovered Christopher Isherwood in college. His writing style is so direct, warm, and inclusive.
~ Claire Danes
After working as a journalist I went to a writing program at Johns Hopkins. It was interesting because it was neither journalistic nor historical, but it emphasized writing style, and afterwards I was asked to write my first book.
~ Iris Chang
I thought the message of the artist was more important than the writing style. I tried to be clear; I wanted everyone to be welcome. I think some of the more serious writers wrote to a more elite audience than that. They're the ones who were defining the seriousness of rock n' roll.
~ Robert Hilburn
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As writers, we tend to be concerned with proper grammar, mechanics, and whether or not we are hooking the reader. Granted, these are not the worst things to be concerned with.
However, how much thought do we give to our own personal writing style? And what does that even mean? There are the instructions for writing and the writer's experience of writing. It's a good idea to be aware of the rules and guidelines of proper grammar and punctuation; dare I say, even necessary. Only then can we start to develop our unique style.
All writers reveal something about their habits, capabilities, and biases in their writing. Writing is about communication; creative writing is about communication through revelation; no writer is truly invisible.
For a closer look at writing styles, let's look at a few lines by famous authors.
"These are the times that try men's souls."
~Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, December 1776
This is a simple sentence of only eight words. It is profound, and it has survived many centuries. There are certainly other ways to say the same thing, but Paine's choice and arrangement of the words in this sentence call out our emotions.
You might be wondering how to create your own memorable style now. I found a few tips that may help.
 Try to grab the reader's attention.
One way to do that is not to worry about style. The more you write, the more your personal style will develop and evolve. In other words, don't worry about style. Concentrate on becoming proficient with language and grammar. Feel free to look for new words to incorporate into your writing; just be sure to use them properly.
Just write.
Write in a way that feels natural and comes effortlessly to you. Language comes from imitation, which is why, as writers, we must make time to read!
Nouns and Verbs
As Stephen King said, "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Write using nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. Of course, I'm not suggesting you ignore them completely, but be very selective. They have their place in our writing.
Look at these lines by William Allingham:
Up in the airy mountain,
Down in the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men...
The nouns mountain and glen immediately paint an image in your mind. However, if the mountain was neither airy nor the glen rushy, would this passage affect us the same way?
Edit, Edit, Edit
Rewriting and editing are just part of writing. We may not enjoy them, but they are part of it. Sometimes, it can be beneficial to take a break between the writing and editing process or have a trusted writer friend give you feedback.
For now, just keep writing and enjoy the process.
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Footnotes
The Elements of Style, Strunk & White This printed copy is for your personal use only. Reproduction
of this work in any other form is not allowed and does violate its copyright. |
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