What You Don't Say

I have talked about style in the past. I usually define it as that which is unequivocally you. Your style is the things you say and how you say it, no matter what the subject or form. However, you can also look at it the other way around. Your style is not what you say, but what you do not say.

Sometimes it is things you choose not to say. For example, I do not describe something (scenery, clothing, movements) unless it is relevant to the story I am telling. Other times, it is the things that we never think to say. The classic example for most writers is using the bathroom. Of course everybody needs to do it, but we never find ourselves writing and thinking, I bet Johnny needs to take a piss real bad right now.

If you want to know who you are, it helps to realize who you aren't. What scenes do you not like writing or thinking about? What scenes do you refuse to write about? It is not easy to find out the things that never occur to you, but there is a way. Read a lot. And take notes on every time you read something that really caught you by surprise. Surprise means you never thought about it or didn't see it coming. When that happens, you know a new thing you wouldn't normally say.

Don't be too solid in your convictions, though. Just because you don't say something now doesn't mean you'll never say it in your life. I am steadfastly against writing sex scenes in my stories. I do not see that ending any time soon. But if I get a really great idea for a story and sex is involved, I won't refuse to write the story. Remember that style changes as we change. Always be open to it.