October Novel Prep Challenge

I expect you've already determined your genre and sub-genre and whether you're writing for adults, children or simply for yourself. While you're drafting during NaNoWriMo you need to pay more attention to getting words down than worrying about style and voice, but you will need to decide those things once you come to your re-drafts.

Your style and voice should fit the genre you're writing. For example, if you're writing a science fiction story, your style will necessarily be different from a historical (e.g medieval) fantasy novel and the voice should fit the point of view character, e.g. a nobleman will have a more formal educated voice than a peasant.


Style, in writing, is the choice and arrangement of words in a story by the writer. If the writer is said to have a distinctive style, what is meant is that the writer has a 'voice'—a unique form of expression which resonates with readers. It is the manner in which the subject matter, emotions and interests of the writer reach their fullest expression on the page. So, whether the style is sparse or ornate every story should be conveyed in the style best suited to it.


Most writers' styles fall between sparse (e.g. Ernest Hemmingway) and ornate (e.g. Mervyn Peake). Usually, their range has a baseline and some variation depending on the genre and demands of the story. This takes into account the chosen point of view e.g the first person with their own distinct way of saying things or, with the limited third-person point of view, where the approach to style should reflect the main character's personality.

Skilful writing isn't just about telling a good story. Every sentence and paragraph should perform a multitude of functions in ways unique to the writer. Complexity doesn't necessarily mean writing in an ornate style—there are styles which are nuanced and multi-layered while being pretty much invisible.

There are four basic types of style, although the edges between them can be blurred in so far as a writer's style may fall somewhere between two. For example, China Miéville's writing falls between conspicuous and ornate.

Minimal/Stark/Sparse. This is understated prose which often relies on inference and suggestion rather than using a lot of colour and detail. Though the use of detail is limited, what there is becomes more powerful and significant due to rarity.

“In the morning I walked down the Boulevard to the rue Soufflot for coffee and brioche. It was a fine morning. The horse-chestnut trees in the Luxembourg gardens were in bloom. There was the pleasant early-morning feeling of a hot day. I read the papers with the coffee and then smoked a cigarette. The flower-women were coming up from the market and arranging their daily stock. Students went by going up to the law school, or down to the Sorbonne. The Boulevard was busy with trams and people going to work.”

The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemmingway


Other writers who use this style are Samuel Beckett, Raymond Carver, Brian Evenson and Amy Hempel.

The negative aspect of this style can be poor writing which leaves readers with nothing to grasp hold of. Often there is a state known as 'White Room Syndrome' where there are no descriptions of anything—there's nothing to ground readers in a time and a place. Their senses aren't engaged and the story, therefore, takes place in a void and readers get bored.



Normal/Invisible. This is the most common style used, particularly in commercial or genre fiction. Reader immersion is the goal of this style. It should weave descriptions and sensory detail into the scenes via the point of view character with few long sentences.

“Amy Fremont got up from the rocking chair, and came across the porch. She was a tall woman, thin, a smiling vacancy in her eyes. About a year ago, Anthony had gotten mad at her, because she told him he shouldn't have turned the cat into a cat-rug. Although he had obeyed her more than anyone else, which was hardly at all, this time he snapped at her. With his mind. And that had been the end of Amy Fremont's bright eyes, and the end of Amy Fremont as everyone had known her.”

It's a Good Life – Jerome Bixby


Other writer examples – Octavia Butler, Daphne Du Maurier, Kurt Vonnegut and Karin Tidbeck.

A negative aspect of this style, if done poorly, is that it can come across as being mediocre and boring.



Muscular/Conspicuous. In this style, the sentence structures are often more complex and half-scenes tend to be used in a more layered way, which means time can be more easily manipulated to good effect. The characters' points of view can be differentiated as much by style as by content. There is ample use of extended metaphors and sensory detail.

“A moment I float beneath her, a starry shadow. Distant canyons where spectral lightning flashes: neurons firing as I tap into the heart of the poet, the dark core where desire and horror fuse and Morgan turns ever and again to stare out a bus window. The darkness clears. I taste for an instant the metal bile that signals the beginning of therapy, and then I'm gone”

The Boy in the Tree – Elizabeth Hand


Other writers in this style – Martin Amis, Ursula K Le Guin, Michael Cisco and Joyce Carol Oates.

The negative aspect of this style, if done poorly, is that it can come across as being too-clever-by-half or readers can lose the thread.



Ornate/lush. This style uses word-play and often employs extended metaphors. There is the use of longer sentences and descriptive passages. The paragraphs both advance the story and showcase the words. Characterisation is often achieved using stylistic exaggeration. There may even be some poetic meter. Reverie and hyperbole come to the fore.

“Stilt-legs scissoring, snip-snap! the bird gods dance. Old cranycrows, a skulk of powers. How they strut and ogle with their long eyes, knowing. How they serpentine their necks. And stalking, how they flirt their tails, insouciant as Groucho. Fugue and counter-fugue, the music jigs and sneaks. On tiptoe, solemnly, they hop and flap; they whirl and whet their long curved clever bills.”

Down the Wall – Greer Gilman


Other writer examples - Mervyn Peake, Salman Rushdie, Robert Coover and Angela Carter.

The negative aspect of this style can result in thick or encrusted prose and a lack of emotional resonance.



Style is not story. So rather than overlaying it, style should be integral to the story. If you give three writers with unique styles or voices the same events, in the same order, by virtue of their differing styles and voices all three will come up with completely different stories. The particles of a story—words—accumulate into phrases, sentences and paragraphs building readers' perceptions of the characters, the mood/atmosphere and the events of the story. Those careful word choices the writer makes to convey the story, become his or her voice.


The term 'voice' as it relates to writing can be a tricky concept. Essentially, it refers to some quality of the writer's style; their world-view which comes through all their works of fiction no matter how their style might vary from story to story.

Most writers find and develop their voice as they go along. But once they have mastered all the elements of storytelling (characterisation, descriptions, dialogue, exposition etc) their uniqueness (voice) will come across in every story they write.

There are various aspects which go to make up a writer's voice:

Tone. This refers to the atmosphere created and the mood evoked. Tone can mean playful, serious, terrifying, exciting, creepy, sad, etc. Tone is created via word choices and the rhythms and lengths of sentences and the images evoked from descriptions. The tone of the story should serve the style which should be flexible enough to allow for changes in the tone of the narrative throughout the story. If the story has the same tone throughout, it becomes monotonous and readers can get bored.

Theme. A tricky subject because a story, even if it is, at heart, meant to be a commentary on aspects of society, should be far more complex than amounting to a religious sermon or a series of ideological slogans or abstract ideas. The theme should be thought of as the least important aspect of a story since themes often arise organically as a result of who or what the characters are and from the choices they make. Themes will occur without conscious thought so a story's theme or themes don't need to be apparent before tackling the first draft. Deciding on a theme before a writer starts can be limiting, forcing the writer to intrude; making characters into puppets who then do things the writer deems they must do rather than letting them act in a way that is natural to the character. Often a theme or themes will present when it comes to revising the story and the writer can then emphasise (or de-emphasise) any apparent themes to enhance the story.

Form. This is not the same as either plot or structure. It can relate to the shape created by the story's structure or refer to the type of narrative used—novel, novella, short story or poem. The form of the story is all the elements working in perfect harmony creating a vision in the reader's head which should lead them on a dramatic journey.

Happy prepping