If you write to order, you're expected to match the 'house style'. Your writing assignments will include instructions as to preferred forms to use, tips on sentence length and vocabulary, and a tone to aim for. They'll tell you whether to be serious or breezy, for example. They'll indicate what kind of humour is permissible. They'll advise you on your audience's preferences, and tell you to keep that audience in mind. You don't write the same way for middle schoolers as you do for FWR and his biker buddies. For one thing, there's the problem of vocabulary. . .

As you read newspapers and webzines, try to notice whether the writers seem to have a 'house style'. Take a look at different publications, even ones you don't normally read. What kind of style does the New Yorker aim for? How is it different from Mother Jones or the Huffington Post? Can you guess what groups they try to appeal to? This is a useful exercise, even if you aren't planning to submit work to them. Being aware of what various prose styles communicate can help you when it comes to crafting your own voice.

Compare these ways of talking about the same thing:

AFTER PRESIDENT DONALD Trump inflamed the national debate over monuments to the Confederacy on Tuesday, telling reporters that white supremacists willing to use deadly violence to defend a statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville included some "very fine people," the City of Baltimore removed four statues honoring the defenders of slavery in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Intercept, Robert Mackey

Even before the insipid forces of radical whiteness had withdrawn from Charlottesville, Virginia, one heard the beseeching protestation "This is not us." That sentiment blossomed into a hashtag, exculpating our society after some of its citizens had seemingly forgotten our standing position against fascism.
The New Yorker, Jelani Cobb

Confederate monuments in Baltimore were quietly removed and hauled away on trucks in darkness early Wednesday, days after a violent white nationalist rally in Virginia that was sparked by plans to take down a similar statue there.
Christian Science Monitor, from an Associated Press report

Okay, which of these publications probably has the most diverse readership? (Hint: the one that takes the least polarised point of view.) Which one is probably preaching to an imaginary choir? Which one is most likely to come from a source critical of the current US administration? How come you know so much about the authors' points of view? After all, it's the same news. What words or phrases tip you off to the author's opinion? Do you think that's a good thing, a bad thing, or just a thing? Which one would you rather read to the end?

My best mentor growing up told me that real communication consists of expressing what you're trying to say in such a way that the other person understands you. That came from a wise lady. What that means is that writing is never merely about pleasing yourself. It's about communicating. And you don't communicate well unless you have an idea what the reader's picking up on. This is important to know when you're trying to develop your own writing voice. Feel free to be distinctive – but beware of being opaque.

Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies – God damn it, you've got to be kind.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr

You probably guessed who wrote that paragraph before you were told. Vonnegut has a distinctive voice. He's breezy and personal and somewhat flip. Here's another quote from him I stole from a quote-site:

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.

I find reading Vonnegut restful. I also find that his prose goes right to the heart of the matter when it comes to discussing serious topics. But Vonnegut may not be for every reader. I'm sure there are many out there who would prefer a little more buildup in their essays. They also might find Vonnegut's apparent flippancy off-putting. Or they might resist the effort required to adapt to his use of repeated catchphrases, such as 'so it goes'. They might choose another prose interlocutor, one whose writing style more closely matches their speaking style. So it goes.

By the same token, I am totally put off by a prose style like this:

I had a good-talking candle last night in my bedroom. I was very tired but I wanted somebody to be with me, so I lit a candle and listened to its comfortable voice of light until I was asleep.

Richard Brautigan

No offence to the Brautigan fans out there – and I know there are many. But that voice seems very self-involved to me. I'm glad he listened to the comfortable voice of the candle. I think I will go away now, and listen to some voices of my own.

Please do experiment to find your own voice, or voices. Keep the listeners in mind: the people who hear you in their heads when they read. Don't write for the ones you're not trying to reach. Let them find their own writers. Write for the people who will hear you. Just keep tuning the words so that you come through loud and clear.

Writing Right with Dmitri Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

04.09.17 Front Page

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