The Writer's Process -> Lesson 2: Style

Image courtesy of Taylor Swift .

Fashion's godmother, Fern Mallis, defines style as "the inherent sense of knowing what looks good on you and nonverbally communicating your story through clothing. Style is an innate quality that someone either possesses or does not..." Style is a differentiator. Writers have a compulsive need to both echo established writers they admire and possess their own style. This balancing act is at the heart of any kind of writing you read. In the first article of this series, I dove into the writer's mindset. In this second article, I aim to answer the question: "How do I develop my writing style?"

Image courtesy of Taylor Swift.

---

The Writer's Process -> Lesson 2: How To Develop A Writer Style

2.1: What kind of writer are you?

Writing is not a linear process. While many people divide writing into fiction and nonfiction, there are actually four main types: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative (Traffis, 2017). As a writer, you have four avenues to express your ideas. Moreover, you don’t need to master every kind of writing; one form does not outweigh the other.  You don’t need to reset your writing based on arbitrary rules. You are the master of your own writing destiny.

.

Image courtesy Shutter stock. Ⓒ Sean Pavone .

2:2: Muscle memory

When I started this blog, I knew I wasn't the strongest writer. Consequently, I decided my key differentiator would be the subjects I cover. Similar to any artistic endeavor, Writing is not an innate skill. It requires practice, patience, and self-compassion. Moreover, there is an epiphany every writer has: writing is more like a muscle than a bone. Your ability is not predetermined. The more you actively try the better you will become.

Gif courtesy of Media from Wix.

2.3: Expand your literary palette: Read

Every writer draws inspiration from others' works. In the 1970s, Joan Didion described how she would retype Ernest Hemingway's works to learn syntax and sentence structure (Kuehl, 1978). In 1935, Hemingway stated ,"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn ... It’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since (Ulin, 2010).” There are only so many ways to compile words. To grow as a writer, you become a literary sommelier, sampling different works to see which resonates with your taste.

Image courtesy of Media from Wix.

---

Lesson II The Writer's Process --> Style Reading Recommendations

Explore these articles find your next book

• https://www.husstlingaroundtown.com/post/literature-how-2020-was-the-year-of-the-book

• https://www.husstlingaroundtown.com/post/the-never-ending-year-of-the-book-book-recommendations-2-0

• https://www.husstlingaroundtown.com/post/2023-and-book-list-3-books-to-read

---

Citations

Swift, T. (2015). Style [Music video]. Big Machine Records. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CmadmM5cOk

Traffis, C. Grammarly. (2017). Types of writing: 8 main types of writing styles with examples. Grammarly. Retrieved January 1, 2025, from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/writing-techniques/types-of-writing/#:~:text=While%20there%20are%20many%20reasons,different%20types%20of%20writing%20skill

Didion, J. (1978). The art of fiction no. 71 (I. D. Moore, Interviewer). The Paris Review.https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/3439/the-art-of-fiction-no-71-joan-didion

Ulin, D. (2010, November 14). Mark Twain: Not just America’s funniest writer. Los Angeles Times.https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-14-la-ca-mark-twain-20101114-story.html