Article of the Week: Writing Tip

Writing Styles: What's Yours?

Find Out What Kind of Writer You Are and Make Writing Fun!

by Diane Eble

How much do you enjoy writing?

If writing is not fun, yet you feel you have a message you need to get out there--perhaps even a book--read on. There's no one "right way" to write. Finding your own "writer style" can open a door of pleasure in writing that you didn't even know was there! 

Figure Out Why Writing Isn't Fun

A big reason many people don't like to write because they think they have to do it in a particular way.

Maybe they've learned a technique that didn't work for them. Instead of questioning the technique, it's easy to think, "I just don't have what it takes." 

Maybe the advice is to outline your book thoroughly, and when you try that, somehow you don’t feel like writing it anymore. 

Or maybe you read about how "characters take over the story" and you scratch your head in puzzlement. When you write, you like to have a plan and write according to your plan, and this stuff about the writing "taking over" makes you wonder if you're a "real writer." 

Rather than beat yourself up, I want you to understand what's going on here. In my own writing life and in my work with many different kinds of authors, I have seen that there are two very different approaches to writing. Yet, rarely are these approaches understood or articulated. 

What Kind of a Writer Are You?

Some are what I call "structure writers." Others are "discovery writers." Knowing the difference, and your natural preference, will go far toward helping you decide which advice will fit you. It will also free you to be what you naturally are, so that writing becomes fun! 

A "structure writer" likes to map out exactly what to write about, ahead of time. Structure writers like plans, outlines, a road map. They like to see the big picture, then break it down into steps. Even if they're writing a novel, they like to know the plot line ahead of time. 

Once structure writers get the road map, they plan their exact route, how they will get from Point A to Point B, usually in the fastest way possible. They're not interested in side trips; they plan how to get from Point A to Point B and that's what they'll do. Their joy is in seeing measurable progress. 

Structure writers have an easier time creating the necessary synopsis or outline that a book proposal requires.  

Discovery writers find joy in the process of writing. I call them discovery writers because for them, much of the thrill of writing is discovering what they want to say as they write.  

I am this kind of writer. I didn't know I'd get into this distinction until I started writing! For me and other discovery writers, writing is how we think. We don't think first, then write, as structure writers do. We think as we write. 

If you're a discovery writer, you do need to have some broad outline, some kind of plan. You too need the road map. But you will use it in different ways. 

Your road map will mark Point A and Point B and some route between, but you have the freedom to map out your route in any number of ways, depending on what seems interesting as you go. You allow yourself side trips along the way. Some will add immeasurably to the richness of the trip, others might become a waste of time. You will use your road map to remind you of your intended destination, and get you back on track should you stray too far! 

One reason I love the mind mapping technique I teach in Writing Secrets Revealed is it works well for either kind of writer. The mind map becomes your road map, to adapt to your style.

Structure writers can use mind mapping to quickly get their ideas out, then create their detailed route by drilling down more and more in the mind maps.  

Discovery writers get the big picture, the bones of the book as it were, but they leave room to flesh it out as they go. The mind map gives the confidence that, should you stray too far off the route, the mind map will get you back on track.

Learning what kind of writer style fits your natural bent will go a long way toward making writing more enjoyable. Writing can be fun! I hope this article sets you free to be who YOU and work with what comes naturally to you.

Action Steps ...

1. Assess your natural writing style now by plotting your point on the continuum from Structure to Discovery. 

 

_______________________________________________________ 

Structure                                                                  Discovery 

 

2.  If you don't know how to do a mind map, I go over exactly how in my class, "Writing Secrets Revealed--How to Write Your Book in 45 Minutes a Day or Less (Even If You Think You're Not a Writer)." I also give several other writing exercises and brainstorming techniques that will make writing a whole lot easier and more fun. You can get instant access to this class here.

 

You might also want to get a copy of Gabriele Rico's excellent book, Writing the Natural Way: Using Right-Brain Techniques to Release Your Expressive Powers.

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