Snapshots

style writing : writing style

ptxficprompts posted a writing exercise: describe your writing style IN your writing style

FreyaOdin then did it which made me feel the need to do it too

I ended up describing more of my process than my style itself, I think? And I hope it doesn't seem preachy toward you guys; it's basically just me talking to myself and reminding myself how to write.

Words on a page are easy enough. They just appear, just flow, and sometimes it doesn't require much thought. It's great when that happens, very stream-of-conscious, and it gets a lot of things out quickly. It's a habit. A good one, usually, but not always. Stream-of-conscious flow makes editing difficult, which is why it hardly ever gets done. Planning, too, is not always in the cards.

The process is simple: write and write and write and don't stop, not for a moment—or do, because Twitter's open in a second window, and Instagram notifications are turned on, and there's an old YouTube video to rewatch for the hundredth time. Distractions are, well, distracting. And constant.

The closer a story feels to first person without actually being first person, the easier it is to put readers inside the characters' heads. Thoughts are personal but still written in a third person point of view. Descriptions are key. The more vivid and visceral the description, the easier it is for readers to feel what the character feels. Make everything personal. Saying that the wind is blowing outside means nothing to the character, but a character feeling the light hairs on his arm shift with a soft breeze, or worrying that the window might crack with the force of the howling wind, that evokes a sensation. It's all in service of the character.

Characters don't know everything. It's important to remember that—and it's important not to give them too much information. Drama and conflict drive the story, and uncertainty and misunderstanding play key roles. Even in porn, in the smuttiest, filthiest sex scene, one character's uncertainty about what the other will do builds tension, even beyond the ratcheting tension of an impending orgasm.

Using words like "ratchet" always helps.

So does repetition.

Sentences standing out from paragraphs draw attention, or prove a point. Sentence structure, too. Even words. All of the components of writing, all of the technical tricks of the trade, they all service the character, and character drives the story, because without a character, without a compelling character, the plot is meaningless. Service the character by building how their mind works, by stretching out sentences when they're in a distracted mood, or by cutting them short when they're panicky. Service the character by delving into their reactions, not just their actions.

Present tense is visceral and immediate, and sometimes it's better to use visual inspiration, start with an image and simply describe it. Describe the still image, and then put it to motion. Ask questions, always, and learn—steal—from others. Always. Use "always" as often as possible. Use "always" in dialogue, because that's definitely how people talk. Only, it never is, and humor and sarcasm have a place in text too. But describe images until they move, and describe the movement until someone speaks, and react, and react, and react, until a scene becomes clear, and the goal is set, because every character has a goal, and every scene has an obstacle keeping them from it.

All of these things are hard to keep in mind, so revert back to stream-of-conscious writing and let it flow without thought; it will come naturally, until nothing comes, and then technical tricks are a puzzle that fits together in a very specific way, a map that can lead back—or for the first time, to a complete scene.

Steal from others, though, really.

But call it inspiration. Always.