Why writing in different styles is essential for any writer

Every kind of writing requires a different sort of style to represent it. A newspaper column is different from a film script is different from a self-help book is different from classic literature is different from a cookbook… the list goes on. Indulging in one style of writing more frequently than another certainly enhances our abilities with that particular style, but neglecting other forms of writing can also hinder our growth and development as a writer in other areas. Writing in different styles can be of great benefit to all writers.

As accustomed as I have become to writing the informal, short articles posted on my blogs, I find that with every day that passes it is easier to come up with ideas and put them to paper. Experience generates both creativity and confidence. But I have also been feeling a distinct lack in other departments of my writing style as my focus has zeroed so closely in on blogging as my preferred mode of expression. Writing in different styles has been lacking in my life.

When I was younger, fiction was my genre of choice. I reveled in short stories and novels both. Creativity flowed from the imagination. Now that my passion for health has an outlet for writing at Living Healthy in the Real World and at The Uniter, I have been neglecting the imagination and taking more of an interest in “the real world,” as it were. But even with my blogging, I have been plugging away at a short novella over the past couple years, picking it up and writing a page or two here and there when I got the chance. This summer I finally decided that it’s about time I really sit down and work hard on completing my novella so that it can be shared with others. For the past few months I have been hard at work on tightening and expanding it, editing out what doesn’t fit and editing in what does.

Before I send the completed copy of my work to publishing companies, I like to ask those closest to me to read it over and let me know what they think. Honesty and constructive criticism are my best friends at this stage. More than ever, the response that my story received this time around was that my writing style has developed considerably in the years since I last wrote fiction.

I was also immensely pleased when one friend returned my manuscript to me with approval but also with about six extra pages of edits. It is, quite possibly, the most constructive of criticism I have ever received, and because of the editing that she has done for me I know that I will have to work incredibly hard if I want to have the story completed within the next couple months. I could not be happier! Without that kind of brutal honesty, the story would be more likely to be tossed aside and dismissed by publishers. In fact, it is because of her editing job that a dozen more ideas have come to mind which will be incorporated into the story, making it something far different from what I had intended but countless times better.

I know that my overall writing has improved from blogging, but I also know that my story really needed the help of my friend’s editing job to be something worth reading. Because I haven’t been writing fiction for such a long time, my writing in that style is not as strong as it could have been otherwise; writing in different styles changes our focus and abilities as writers. Another set of eyes helps to guide the writing, reminding me of all the tricks and techniques of style that I can employ which I do not normally use when I am blogging or writing my Living Well column.

No matter what your preference in writing is, as long as you keep at it, your writing cannot help but improve. Writing in different styles from what you’re used to, however, can broaden your perspective, allowing for a multitude of possibilities in improving your writing skills. When we write in a few different styles our capabilities expand and our writing can see much more of its true potential. As writers we can evolve and gain so much from playing with our writing. An extra pair of eyes always helps, too, especially when it comes to finalizing our piece and presenting it to the world in a way that most accurately gets across what we are trying to express.

What type of writing do you enjoy the most? Do you like writing in different styles? How can you improve your writing so that it can reach its full potential?