Style. And Substance.

Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.

Don’t forget to click the purple button to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.

(Based on a comment from Daryl) – Does your writing style change depending upon what you are writing?

Most definitely. I write in several genres and my style changes from one to the other. Although claiming it as my style might be a bit of a stretch, as I’ve said before, I can only write what I’m shown.

I think it’s important that the presentation of the story matches the expectation of the reader. The way each story is shown to me varies and seems to be based on what readers of that particular genre expect.

You may have noticed (if you’ve read any, OBVS) that the style of any of my novels is totally different to the way things are written on this blog, that’s because these posts are my own work and not the result of what I see in my head.

To explain further, consider the styling of television shows or movies in different genres, how they’re presented to the viewer, in terms of costume, language, setting and all the little details. That’s how I see the story.

All I have to do is watch and write it down. Simple!

So, if I’m writing Steampunk, for example, I write in the style of a Victorian gentleman. There are extravagant settings, filled with gleaming copper and fantastic, period machinery. The language is florid, the style languid.

On the other hand, my space operas have expansive scenery, mind-blowing technology, and are written in more urgent prose.

Meanwhile, my cozy mysteries have a small-town feel and a generally light-hearted tone. There are moments of humour in the drama.

Which doesn’t mean that there is any less interest, just that the way of depicting it is different.

If you think it’s a bit strange, how I can jump from one style to another, I’d agree with you. When you know that what I write is simply the result of my watching a film and copying it all down, it starts to make more sense. As I said, the film I see reflects the style, so it’s impossible for me to write it any other way.

It doesn’t seem to matter that they all vary so much, my mind does not explode with the confusion that could be caused if I were doing all this consciously. The voices in my head take care of all the details.

I seem to be able to write parts of several different novels in a short space of time if the muse is present, and stick to the correct style in each one.

Until next time.

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