What's your natural writing style?

[I, Brian]

I have to admit, I'm not a natural genre writer. My preferred style is to write entirely objectively - effectively, describe everything as seen, as let the reader interpret character thoughts by their tone, words, body language, and actions. It's probably a little unfair on the reader to expect a very high degree of empathy - plus it has lead to my own writing in the past becoming very over-written.

I guess that's why the only successful book I know of that it written in a full omniscient style is "The Maltese Falcon".

So as an aspiring sf/f writer, I read sff classics and allow myself to be influenced by their style. I am very easily influenced by writing styles, and can absorb them fairly well without meaning to - therefore when engaged in writing I used to avoid reading any fiction because of it.

I have to admit, I do currently like the Third Person Omniscient, and use Dune as my model for that. As I'm currently reading GRR Martin he's becoming very influential in style for writing fantasy, too, though I'd probably move well away from Third Person Limited for juggling different major character perspectives in their scenes.

Anyway, the purpose of this ramble is to ask what sort of writing style others here prefer, and how natural it comes to them.

For example, do you prefer a first-person or third person perspective? If so, which kind? And how easy do you find writnig it?

[knivesout]

I *have* to move away from first-person subjective because my stories rapidly become too layered to sustain it.


Stylistically, I'm inclined towards a poetic sort of prose, saved from seeming archaic by a good dose of William Burroughs influences. I think. I'd like to achieve the crystal clarity and grace of an Ursula Le Guin or Cordwainer Smith, but I suppose that's asking too much.

[SDNess]

It's a good question, but honestly I don't really know.

I'm still trying to find my "voice" for all types of writing - essays, fiction, and poetry.

While I write something, if I think it's really good, I'll get all worked up and honestly think it's the best thing ever. But then when I look at it later, it's not very good. Maybe many people suffer from this?

There's always an awkwardness. It seems that my natural writing style is kind of boring and dull. It takes real effort to get something really good. I probably violate a lot of the good points that are in Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" too.

All I can tell myself is practice, practice, and more practice.

For fiction, I tend to like writing in third person. I feel the most home in it. This probably comes from a lack of experience with first person and second person (I've seen it done.) First person plural (Ayn Rand), which I've only seen once, is pretty cool.

For essays, my voice is usually pretty serious. I need to work better on getting "flair." Op-ed stuff is also good. When I write for my school newspaper, I focus on just writing instead of making it graceful.

For poetry, which I've been enslaved by for several months now, I would say free verse is my natural style. I don't flow well with all the restrictions. Villanelles and sonnets...ehhhhhhh.

[aftermath]

I have no clue what mine is. I just write whatever asumes me. If a story calls for me to wrtie it as third to make it sound the best I can write, I'll write it in third. Same with first person.

If I get a good idea, I can write pages with stopping. I once wrote a ten pages short in one sitting, thats coming up with the idea and everything. I don't know if that's good, but it is for me

I write to sit down and write at least a few pages a few. Its bloody hard with classes. Bloody college.