Writing and style.

[foxmonkey]

I've wondered about this one a lot over the years. Today's question:

Style. Are there writers you can pick out by style alone? If so, what is it that you recognize? If you're a writer, is having a recognizable style important to you? Why or why not?

Comments

[worldwouldend.livejournal.com]

I think there are definitely writers with a distinct/recognizable style. It's sort of like hearing a song on the radio for the first time and immediately knowing what band is singing it.

There are big things like a preference for a certain tense/pov, for lots of dialogue or none at all. Then there are subtler things like...length of paragraph or sentence. Punctuation choices (semicolon or ellipse usage/abuse). And things that are hard to define like cadence or rhythm of the words themselves. Some writing feels...quiet, calming; some is loud. For example, I always want to describe scot_ty's fics as quiet, though I'm not sure why.

If I really like a writer's style and it's consistent across works then I can be comfortable knowing I will most likely enjoy the next piece. But sometimes it's cool to find out they're capable of changing it up, too.

...And that's enough babbling from me. :)

[jewelianna.livejournal.com]

I'm stretching back to the Golden Age of Popslash, but there were some authors who I always felt were very distinctive. callmesandy's fics were always easy for me to identify by style. Her writing is very direct, I'd say. There was a clear tone to her writing, and it carried from her more humorous fics to the more serious ones. rhyssj had a very identifiable style as well. The balance between thought, dialogue, and description in her stories remained fairly constant. synchronik had a fairly uniform style. Not as much character thought in those, more action and reaction.

I feel like I have a style, though it's not important to me that it be recognizable. Hell, I'm just happy if someone else reads something that I've written, I'm not worried about them instantaneously knowing it's me. Although if it's a bad thing, I'd want to know about it. If someone shudders when they see me name, it'd be good to know why.

Your questions make me babble.

[silveryscrape.livejournal.com]

Well, I always think I can identify sesa authors, for example, but I'm always wrong. Still I feel I could identify your style, and the styles of some other authors in popslash, past and present - wearemany, lesasoja, callmesandy. It's a matter of style, yes, and word choice, sentence length, dialogue... all those things mentioned here already, but also every author has that extra something, like their own line, to use an art metaphor. Like, callmesandy has lots of long sentences with fewer commas, and she seems to be really concerned with what her characters learn from their experiences. Lesa's stories have this massive presence of everything not being said. Your characters, JC and Justin particularly, have this strength about them, maturity, maybe? Affection. And I know they're going to be all right. Tiffany Rawlins does this thing where she uses small details to suggest larger themes, like all in the course of a single sentence, so her statements have this really meaningful air about them. And Torch's absolute calm and beautiful control of the language is a favorite.

What's important to me as a writer is to find my own way of writing, grow comfortable with the things I want to say and how I want to say them. It's not so much important that I'm known for it. I just think it's easier to write if you have that kind of ease where you're not agonizing over every word, every sentence... well, okay, I do, but that's what I do. I'm okay with that now. :)

Awesome questions!

[ibythetide.livejournal.com]

There was a time when I was an avid reader and could discern many a writer by their style. Popslash, baby, a good time was certainly had by all. I notice pacing and phrasing more and more in writing. I could even go as far as saying those to things are major "tone" setters that help me identify writers.

I'm still struggling with the next part so I reserve the right to have a clarifying comment once I think about the question some more. Right now, after admitting I'm personally uncomfortable with my own style, I would say that having a recognizable style is not as important to me as having/executing an idea. I've read plenty of excellent prose that had no substance to it.

Of course, having both would be best.