Do You Need a Signature Writing Style?
By Stu Leventhal
Only other artists can know what a fellow artist, author, poet, lyricist, journalist goes through to put the final touches on their work. The mental turmoil, the focus and self-imposed stress is harsher than the toughest literary critic could possibly impose.
It is amazing where an author can transport a reader with just a few well-crafted written sentences.
Let your emotional state flow into your words.
The style of the language must fit the subject matter.
Long stoic sentences may not mesh with your topic's tone. Think, are more delicate words more appropriate? Perhaps your telling style is interrupting the dark mood you are trying to produce.
TIP: Good writing takes total concentration.
REMEMBER: Words can have more than one meaning. Don't distract your reader from your message by making them think about which definition you mean about a word.
The reading should be easy.
Language should be rhythmic and flowing.
Sentences, paragraphs and thoughts should intermingle, one leading into the next.
Ideas big and small must complement each other at least slightly. The whole piece must give off a feeling of continuity.
The author should strive for invisibility.
Young creative writers seem to be more concerned with what the reader thinks about them and their talent rather than getting the reader absorbed in the subject matter of their work.
TIP: Your goal is not to convince your readers, what a cunning linguist this author is or what a funny writer you are or even to make them think, wow, this author knows his stuff. You are successful when the readers are not thinking about you, their author, at all because the work itself has captured their total attention.
Do no worry about developing your distinct, recognizable writing style. You'll have one or a few. We all do. Your styles will be developing and changing as you get more confident, the more you write.
Know there will be times when you must create a style or twist a technique based on what you have to communicate to your readers.
Experiment, keep pushing yourself. How else are you going to find out how great a writer you can be?
It is amazing where an author can transport a reader with just a few well-crafted written sentences.
Let your emotional state flow into your words.
The style of the language must fit the subject matter.
Long stoic sentences may not mesh with your topic's tone. Think, are more delicate words more appropriate? Perhaps your telling style is interrupting the dark mood you are trying to produce.
TIP: Good writing takes total concentration.
REMEMBER: Words can have more than one meaning. Don't distract your reader from your message by making them think about which definition you mean about a word.
The reading should be easy.
Language should be rhythmic and flowing.
Sentences, paragraphs and thoughts should intermingle, one leading into the next.
Ideas big and small must complement each other at least slightly. The whole piece must give off a feeling of continuity.
The author should strive for invisibility.
Young creative writers seem to be more concerned with what the reader thinks about them and their talent rather than getting the reader absorbed in the subject matter of their work.
TIP: Your goal is not to convince your readers, what a cunning linguist this author is or what a funny writer you are or even to make them think, wow, this author knows his stuff. You are successful when the readers are not thinking about you, their author, at all because the work itself has captured their total attention.
Do no worry about developing your distinct, recognizable writing style. You'll have one or a few. We all do. Your styles will be developing and changing as you get more confident, the more you write.
Know there will be times when you must create a style or twist a technique based on what you have to communicate to your readers.
Experiment, keep pushing yourself. How else are you going to find out how great a writer you can be?
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