I recently wrote a guest post and frankly, I struggled with it a little. I was certainly comfortable with the material and I knew what I wanted to say. I hadn’t written for this person before and I didn’t want to come across as a bad writer. After a while I decided, “Screw it. I’m just going to write in my style and not try to be something different for someone else.”
Was this a good strategy? I don’t know. All I do know is that the more I tried to fit into a box, the more the writing felt stifled and stiff. Once I made the decision to be my writing self, the words flowed a lot easier.
I know I’m not the best or most cultured grammarian. I frequently start sentences with “And or “But.” I screw up my punctuation and still haven’t figured out the whole semicolon thing. Oh and I’m sure I’ve left enough participles dangling to decorate a Christmas tree. Oh well.
My style has always been based on the words I would normally speak flowing from my head to the paper. In other words I write like I speak. As much as possible I do try to fit the grammar mold but I generally won’t compromise my style to do so. I think for some folks that read my stuff this may be a distraction but I’ll bet it’s not that big a deal for most.
I will say that the one place I’m most likely to let properness overcome style is when I’m writing for a client. Typically they are more interested in proper presentation and less concerned with the George-ness of my writing. Generally speaking, I’m able to accomplish this without too much trouble. In fact, morphing is a much needed skill for a writer, particularly a freelance writer.
Outside of those fairly strict freelance guidelines, My advice to writers is to have enough faith in your style to embrace it. If we all wrote the same, all writing would be the same and where is the joy in that?
You’ll know when you are writing your style because the words will flow naturally and you won’t question every word, sentence and paragraph. You have to be yourself and embrace your writing style. It’s not always easy but the effort is worth it in the end.
How about you? Do you know your style? Do you embrace it as part of yourself or do you try to write like someone else?
Hey George, great post as always. I love that you have decided to write about style and yes you are right, every writer has their own. On my blog I tend to use my own style and voice but like you, when it comes to writing for business clients there are some rules and regulations that must be adhered to. There are often times when clients will ask that you write in a specific tone or style so being able to adjust with ease is a great skill to have. That being said, I do love the freedom that comes with writing for myself and writing as me. It is amazing how easy the words flow when you are being true to yourself and your own natural style. For me this is what blogging is all about, writing for yourself as yourself.
Great post George and I look forward to the next.
Amanda
Amanda J Evans´s last [type] ..Getting Your Author Platform Working For You
Such great words of wisdom, Amanda. I do feel a lot more free when I’m writing for me.
I’m hoping to not make it so long between posts!
George
George,
I struggle with this very same issue. I use So and And a lot.. and I am not all that keen on punctuation!
I figure that a guest post has to reflect who I am and if the blogger in question has read me first then they expect to have me “show up” as me. Like you, when I’m trying to be a different writer, my stuff is harder to write, it doesn’t flow—in other words, it’s not my best writing.
Walker Thornton´s last [type] ..The Vagina-Name It. Claim It.
Yay, Walker!
I’m glad to see that other writers feel the same, and I love your “show up” line!
I so agree with you on the whole grammar thing. I stress and stress about it, but at the end of the day I know most blog readers, and I think clients too, aren’t concerned with perfect. They’re concerned with effective. And I try to be true to my style. It’s not as much fun when I’m not.
Enjoyed catching up on your blog posts today. It’s been awhile since I’ve been here.
Sara,
So glad you came by. Gave me a smiley face, it did.
More than anything, your observation about it not being much fun if you’re not true to your style resonates with me. I don’t want to do things that aren’t much fun. I know I have to eat my veggies now and then, but I’d prefer a pizza thank-you-very-much.
George
George,
This is something I can relate to. English is not my first language.
Although I had English in school and live in America for several years, grammar and spelling is still hard sometimes.
I like to write from inside my personality like you do, but sometimes you have to be more a business writer. After all the bills need to be paid.
Thanks for sharing this.
Ed
Hi Ed,
Thanks for coming by and commenting. English as a second language is an issue in and of itself. I can’t imagine trying to learn english as it is a difficult language to understand and master. This is especially true in the world of business writing.
Best of luck to you!
George