What is Your Writing Style?

Have you developed a unique way to present your work?

Think of Stephen King, James Patterson, Malcolm Gladwell, or Amy Tan.

So, who are you?

I did some research and found a list I like the best. It’s clear and to the point.

Key Aspects in Analyzing an Author’s Style

• How you write your sentences and their length. What is your sentence structure? How often do you vary your words and their position?

• How often do you include sensory details. Ex: “She bolted from the chair” rather than she got up from the chair and walked swiftly. What other adjectives would you use to describe a scene?

• How do you describe the sound? Example: “He put his hands over his ears.” Have you ever tried a rhythm using sound devices — alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, repetition?

Below is an example of rhythm in writing:

Rhythm creates a mood. Rhythm can make you rush ahead or slow you down to enjoy reading quietly. In the paragraph below from All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, the pace ebbs and flows:

When she opens the bedroom window, the noise of the airplanes becomes louder. Otherwise, the night is dreadfully silent: no engines, no voices, no clatter. No sirens. No footfalls on the cobbles. Not even gulls. Just a high tide, one block away and six stories below, lapping at the base of the city walls.

• The use of dialogue. Dialogue can be very creative. Very often, we use dialogue to move the story forward. It can also be too much, and we use dialogue to Show, but we really are telling. Be careful.

• Word choice. Is your story taking place in a location where there would be a local dialect or unique words? Are your characters living in a foreign country, not native to them? If your characters live in the southern US and eat grits? Do they have a singsong style? All of these plays into word choice and dialogue.

• Tone. Much like above, you need to pay attention to the location of your story.

• The use of local color. Color can play an essential role in your story, depending on where it occurs. Do you like to write about New England? Especially in the fall, when leaves change color? Or are you in Miami and on the beach?

These tips should help you think about how you approach your articles, books, or short stories.