Thursday, April 21, 2011

Why not?

I've been in an extremely philosophical mood lately (which may or may not have been spurred by reading a dozen or so Diana Wynne Jones quotes on Brainyquotes.com) and I've stumbled upon this funny idea: writing style.
This is a little different from Voice. Voice is word choice and sentence structure and unique preferences to certain literary tricks, but the sort of style I'm thinking of is less of HOW you write and more of WHY.

Nor am I trying to get super scholarly on the deep message behind writing and the effect it has on our souls. This is more in reference to why you REALLY write. I mean sure, the theme inside my current novel is to teach girls what a healthy romantic relationship should really be about (and why my book is so much better than Twilight) but that's not why I'm a writer.
Why do I write? This is question that we should all ask ourselves, and in my opinion the answer should a mere few words that are totally nonspecific and unshackled. For instance, maybe you're particular writing style is simply: "Why?" or the more daring "Why not?"
Perhaps you're the daydreaming "What if?" or the challenging "What if not?"
On the other hand--and there is no shame in this--you might be a constructive "Because..." or you might be the spontaneous "Just Because!"

Answering this question may very well unlock parts of your inner-self to your outer-self that will equally open up your writing. Understanding what kind of writer you are makes the writing process that much the simpler--and the more enjoyable!

My answer, I think, is "Ooh! Look!"
Ever surprised, ever fascinated, ever optimistic: I write to make people look at the world in a different way. The day I discovered this reopened my imagination and put my writing on a whole different level. It has become who I am and what I do, and not just as a writer.

So what's your answer?

2 comments:

  1. I think I'm a twisted "What If." I like taking the ordinary and throwing them together in a "What if" situation, but I always try and mess things up so they're both familiar and unfamiliar. For example, the premise of my current story is a tiny eight year old who's the bodyguard of a big 'ole monster. He inherited the position from him Grandfather. That's just one example...

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  2. If you read the things I just posted, I think I am "There, you see?" Most of mine are proving a point or defending something (or someone) I love. That or telling a story. I'm not one to put in some deep moral for you to dig for. If the moral isn't right there, it's just for you to enjoy.

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