You’ve probably noticed that you often excel at things you enjoy and in which you demonstrate talent. For example, if you have a flare for interior design, you might enjoy helping friends and family decorate their homes. You might even decide to pursue a career in the industry. On the flipside, when tasked with things in which you are unskilled or do not enjoy, it becomes a struggle. This is why, as an author, it’s important to identify your writing style.
The good news is that not showing aptitude in a specific type of writing doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have what it takes to be an author. In other words, just because you are not talented at writing humorous stories, for instance, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be writing at all. Perhaps your writing style leans more toward other genres.
Understanding a writing style
The term “writing style” refers to a broad range of issues, including word choice, sentence structure, voice, narration and more. Consider Charles Dickens, who is known for detail and extensive descriptions, as well as themes of social injustice and melodrama in his stories. Jane Austen’s style, on the other hand, focuses on social etiquette and expectations of the Victorian age. Her dialogues are witty rather than melodramatic and she often chooses female protagonists as her main characters.
How fiction authors can find a niche
One of the best means for determining your writing style is to experiment or “test the waters” with various styles. To prepare for such experiments, you’ll want to read novels from authors whose styles greatly differ from one another, such as Dickens and Austen, mentioned in the previous section. After reading numerous books and getting a feel for different types of writing, begin your experiment.
Write samples using different styles. Try writing long sentences, then switch to a shorter format. Focus on dialogue, then write a story with less dialogue and more narration. Experiment with modern lexicons versus historical tones and verbiage. After a while, you might begin to favor a specific writing style. The ideas and words flow more easily when you use that style over the others. Once you determine the style you like best, try writing a whole story.
Always seek feedback from trusted sources
It’s imperative to seek feedback as an author. You might enjoy a particular writing style, but that alone does not help you achieve success. Readers must enjoy your writing, too. This is why it is always a good idea to give samples of your writing to several trusted sources to obtain feedback and constructive criticism. These sources can help determine if the writing style you’ve chosen is the right one for you.
