#wednesdaywisdom – oh… so you just gone change up on me!
Part of developing
your writing style is to adapt and change.
Yes, you are developing your writing style, but there will be times when
you need to change it up or adapt to a particular style.
Adapt means, “make (something) suitable for a new use or
purpose; modify.” (Google.com)
Being a good writer means that you can adapt or modify your
writing style to any writing task or assignment. If you normally write fiction, but are asked
to write a poem, you have to adapt your style to that of the structure of the
poem. If you generally write novels and
you enter a short story contest, you have to modify your writing to still meet
the needs of the story with drastically fewer words.
You can practice modifying or adapting your writing style by
writing in different genres occasionally.
While I love writing novels, I write short stories based on an element
of my novels from time to time. Such as,
if a character has a flaw, I may write a short story about how the flaw was
developed in the character. I write
essays for my English classes all the time as sample essays to show my students
what the particular essay should look like.
So, find moments to write in another genre as you develop your writing
style.
Change means, “make (someone or something) different; alter
or modify.” (Google.com)
Good writers have to change or alter their writing style to
match writing styles when theirs does not fit the writing task or assignment. If you are usually a funny writer, but you
are writing something for religious purposes, you may have to be serious. If you typically are a sad writer and you
enter a writing contest that asks you to write about a happy moment in your
life, then you will have to change your writing to be happy instead of sad.
You can practice changing or altering your writing style by
writing different styles of texts. While
I love writing about life and the daily happenings of people in their lives
(giving things a positive spin in the end), I write religious texts that
require me focus only on what the words say and mean. If there is no positive moment in the
writing, then I do not add one. I like
to write happy things, even if there are sad moments, but I have written
stories where there was no happy ending because the story did not call for a
happy ending.
While you are developing your writing style, you have to
remember, there may be times that you need to modify or alter your style. That is okay.
Just remember… You can still be you, but tailor it to the writing task.
“Things change. The only thing constant is change. It’s up
to you to be adaptable.” -Anonymous