What is Style?
What is it about Katie Klein writing that makes it "Katie Klein"?
First, I should warn you that a writer's style is constantly evolving. My style today isn't quite the same as it was when I first published The Guardian and Cross My Heart. Those books relied more on dialogue and action to move the pages. My most recent YA (All I Never Needed) was much more introspective. The snappy dialogue and intense moments are still there, but there's a lot of exposition, too--the thoughts and reflection--between the conversations and action.
When I first started publishing, the writing was more fragmented and fast-paced. Today, I use more commas and coordinating conjunctions. And you *know* how much I love an em dash. ;)
I credit these shifts to moving out of reading predominantly YA lit and seeking out more women's fiction.
Still, whether I'm writing for YA or Adults, you can be certain that my stories are going to include some angst and tears, a bit of danger/suspense, and a strong love story element that ends in a happily ever after. The path I take to tell that story is what makes my writing, well, my writing.
But, again, my writing has evolved over the years, and it's still evolving.
So when "style" comes up in the conversation in my classroom, I tend to shut it down.
"You are still students of literature and writing," I tell them. "You do not have a style, yet. You don't need a style, yet. What you need is words on the paper."
"Ack! But Mrs. Klein! We need our own style if we're going to be great writers!" they say.
"This is true," I reply. "But first, read one hundred novels in your genre. Then put one million words onto the page. If each book you write is one hundred thousand words, that's ten novels. So . . . write ten novels. Then--and only then--will you begin to see a style emerging."
It's likely your first stories and novels will mimic your favorite writers' voices and styles, anyway. It's not until after a million words or so that you will be closer to making your style something that's unique to you.
So the moral of the story is this: don't stress about style. Don't worry about style. Don't think about style until you are well into your writing career.
Until then. . . .
Just focus on getting the words of a variety of stories onto the page, read as much as you can, and always:
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
