How to Quickly Improve Your Writing Style

It was a joyful shock to the system. After many years of not being confident of my writing style, I had a sudden realisation during my last piece of coursework. In other words, for the first time I experienced the sensation of being totally at ease with the way I write and the stories I want to tell. 

But what had caused this sudden feeling? The answer was simple, and I’d like to share it so that you too may go forth in style. Your own unique style, that is. By the end of this article you will:

• Understand what writing style is and why it’s important.
• How you can speed up the process of developing it.

What Is Style?

In the same way that no two snowflakes are ever the same, so goes the way we write. Give a group of writers a story brief with exactly the same plot, characters and setting and they’ll produce vastly different results.

Style has to do with our personalities as people, our preferences, our upbringing and the writers who’ve influenced us thus far. Whether it’s a penchant for velvety vocabulary or the unique way in which you punctuate; there was never anyone like you, nor will there be anyone like you. 

Why Do We Need to Develop Style? 

Although the last sentence in my previous post sounded super romantic, it’s humbling to know that we’re not born knowing what this is, even when we’ve been writing for a while. 

Developing our style is important because it’s an essential part of standing out as an individual. It’s also about doing our writing justice by being an authentic reflection of who we are. When we’ve reached this point, trying to be ‘original’ isn’t necessary because we’ll inherently be different to every single writer out there.

Ironically, discovering our style can be one of the biggest challenges to overcome, something that takes time. But how much time?

How Can We Improve It? And How Long Does It Take?

Stephen King is well known for his take on improving style, namely to read and write as much as possible.

While this is perhaps the best advice anyone could possibly give, I used to feel this goal was sightly vague and unattainable. I mean, how much would I have to read and write? When would I know what I was writing was ‘me’?

The truth is that we never stop evolving. There’s never going to be a point where we write a certain way indefinitely and not take the story/novel we’re writing into account. After all, style should vary to best tell the story we want to tell. 

But there’s a stage where we reach a solid base, and I’m going to give you my best tip on how to get there…

Sophie’s Surefire Tip for Quickly Improving Your Writing Style

Here we go:

• Read shorter extracts of many different fiction/non-fiction books (and poems too) + do a relevant exercise after each new author/poet. 

Let me explain. Of course it’s essential to read whole texts for the joy of reading and to improve other elements of craft such as plot and structure. Yet using this technique to develop style (if that’s your Achilles Heel) is inefficient and takes a long time. 

This I know from experience. Alongside university commitments I can manage maybe one novel a month or two novellas. Did I see a huge change in my writing style by following this routine? A little, but nothing to write home about.

I did notice a massive improvement however when it came to the required reading for my studies. Doing a creative writing degree means that I have to read many extracts of fiction and poetry, doing multiple writing exercises in between. Having this routine over a period of months has very quickly allowed me to reach the ‘solid base’ I was mentioning when it comes to my own style, and I feel it’ll be beneficial for you too.  

So as an exercise, next time you go to the library, pick up as many novels/poetry collections as you can stagger home with. Don’t spend too long with each one, maybe a chapter at most. 

After each book you pick up, grab your notebook/computer and try a writing exercise based on some aspect of the writing that appeals to you. This may link in with other elements of craft even if that wasn’t your focus.

Maybe you choose The Master and Margarita and like the way Bulgakov uses an omniscient narrator, magic realism, or a loose sense of time. There are many aspects to catch your eye and it’s about having curiosity to find the things you feel at home with.

Summary

• Don’t force a certain style.
• Allow other writers to naturally influence you, but never try to ‘be’ someone else.
• Never start reading a new author before you’ve written something, even if it’s just a few lines.

So what elements do you think make up your personal writing style? Do you consider style an enemy or a friend? And which writers have influenced you most in this area? Let me know in the comments section below!

Until next time,

Sophie X