Corruption

One of my writer friends has been working in journalism for a while. She absolutely hates it. She hated it from the beginning, but work is work. I'm glad that she has this experience for two reasons. For one thing, she will know to never go near that field ever again. For another, there is a lot to be learned from the journalistic style of writing.

In a journalistic style, you make damn sure that you don't repeat words. You will have to expand your vocabulary to be able to say the same thing in different words. You learn how to cram as much information as you can into sentences. You learn to vary your sentence structure. You learn to use active words that give energy and interest to your sentences. You learn how to organize thoughts and place things in order of importance.

The problem, though, is that because journalistic style is so specific, it has a tendency to corrupt your writing. When I worked in journalism, I could hear my editor correcting me when I was alone in my room doing personal writing. All of my sentences sounded like journalist sentences. They crammed as much information in as possible, even when it didn't make sense. It sounded formal and professional, even when that wasn't the subject matter. I did vary my sentences, but I just cycled through the three sentence structures that are used n journalism.

If I didn't have my personal writing at the time, I would have been in big trouble. I would have forgotten how to sound normal and struggled to relearn nonjournalistic writing. If you are in such a situation, being engulfed by a specific style, it is more necessary than ever to have a creative outlet. This blog was one of mine, as well as comics and short stories. Whatever you choose, make sure you keep up with it.

A quick forewarning, though: That style will still be in your personal writing. Part of it will never leave you. That's ok. Just make sure you keep the good parts. Stuff like using interesting verbs and not repeating words are good abilities. Keep the best, toss the rest.