Style is not so easy to come by in the world of writing. Many authors when starting out are very nervous about how they appear to the reader. They read a sentence with the same critical eye as a designer checking out the hemline . . . is it too short, too long, too revealing? Each component of a piece of fiction from plot elements to dialogue all contribute to the style of the writer, and often, the finished product works to win over the editor in a way that is as visual as an any evening gown. It is the gestalt effect.
We get so wrapped up in trying to break down each part of our writing, that we lose the real bones of what it means to tell a story or share an idea. We want to sound literary, or philisophical, or maybe brilliant as we try to copy our favorite writers. We want to write with their style, not seeing that each writer's life experiences, the type of environment or speech patterns they learned as children all contribute to that wonderful way they turn a phrase, so unique to their perspective.
And when we try to write like Hemmingway, Mark Twain, or Stephen King, we miss all the charm of being just plain 'ol Ralph or Mary from Pocatello, Idaho. For who else can describe two old codgers playing checkers in small town life with the same insight? Who else can see the aunt sneaking sips of gin from her over-sized purse with the same affection at the family reunion, or notice the run-down shoes of the town's biggest braggart the way you can? It's all these hundreds--even thousands of experiences from the mundane to the conjured fantasies of a daydream that create the writer's style. Style is the the fingerprint of the writer's soul.
Entire books and seminars will address style much more thoroughly than I could ever hope to do in this little, back water blog, but I just wanted to touch on it, because I know what it feels like to doubt the finished story, when it does not resemble anything like the latest bestseller. I would read a novel and then return to my own work thinking, "This doesn't sound as powerful (or fill in your own adjective.) as so-and-so." Such thinking would lead to further self-doubt about ever being publishable.
Now it's true that this difficult task of grooming oneself to write well requires looking closely at syntax, story elements and grammar, but what about the more intuitive aspects? Our style develops and changes throughout our lives, and many writers can switch genres with the same ease as Miss Piggy does her earrings. If we can learn to trust the process of writing after all our busy work and analysis, then perhaps the art that is inside us will manifest with all the spontanaity and magic that drove us to write in the first place!
Many great teachers of writing advise the writer to create first and edit later. This is absolutely necessary if we want to find our own style whether out specialty is writing restaurant reviews or spy thrillers. I have a couple of other quick suggestions.
- Read two or three books from the same author. First novels are fun to compare with the ones five or six books later. How has the writing changed? How does the author's voice settle in to the story over time?
- Read what you wrote to hear the rhythm of your writing and record it. Does it feel natural to who you are and what you want to say through your story or essay?
- Read aloud and record your favorite writers. This will develop an ear for why you like their particular style of writing.
- Create three characters. Have them attend an event. Each one gets to submit a diary entry of event. Now pretend you are in their world and write your own reaction. Then write it as the "author". How does each one differ? If they are all too similar, then you are letting your own style dominate the story.
There is a lot more to explore on this very elusive thing called style. It is what makes us wonderfully unique in a world where The Group Mind is trying to suck us into the vortex of conformity. But YOU would never fall for that. Afterall, you wouldn't be a writer in the first place if you didn't feel the need to express your own individuality. I like your style . . . almost as much as Miss Piggy.
