Describe your writing style in one sentence. That challenge was posed to the #writingcommunity on Twitter. Think about it. What is one word that immediately comes to mind?
For me, the first word that popped into my mind was "casual." My husband and I have talked about literary writing versus the kind of writing I do. I have said I'm not meant for literary writing. Yes, I can describe sweeping landscapes and talk about a dewdrop for an entire paragraph, but I don't want to do that. My prose is unlikely to take anyone's breath away, but it is still fun to read.
People often throw around the advice, "write what you know." I know a little about a lot of things, but I prefer the advice, "write what you want to read." Over 24 hours, I saw talk about four separate desires for starting a book club. Whenever I see "book club," part of me sighs because books clubs typically enjoy the style of books I don't like. I don't read the books written for adults. I enjoy Young Adult, and I like Middle Grade, too. That's what I write. That is how I write.
Don't get me wrong; there are middle-grade stories that have won acclaim for their lyrical storytelling. That just isn't me. I write for the casual reader. I write for someone who doesn't want to keep a dictionary handy or try to figure what I meant when I said "XYZ." There is seldom a deeper meaning to the words I have written. I want the reader to devour my words, to feel a need to turn the page and yearn to know what happens next. Should the reader put my book down, I don't want them to struggle to sink back into it; they should be able to simply dive back into the story.
I believe I achieve page-turners because of the other phrase I used to describe my writing style, "cinematic flair." I've said that I began writing novels to help write my movie scripts. My scripts always lacked detail, and I felt if I drug the story out into a full-length novel, I could teach myself how to describe scenes and action. Admittedly, it took a long while for me to figure the description out. Although I left scriptwriting behind, I never lost my passion for movies, and I always think about my books from the POV of a camera. To this day, my favorite compliment I have received on my writing was the comments from readers saying, "I can see it just like a movie." I've had people say they can almost hear the music building in the scene.
There you have it. The way I describe my writing style is "casual with a cinematic flair," and I wouldn't have it any other way. We as writers should embrace our strengths; there is a place for all writing styles. I may not be a literary writer, but it doesn't make my stories any less worthy of sharing.
What is your writing style?
August 1, 2022