Are you a Bookish writer?

Influence has an important role in your writing. As you understand and work with different styles and influences, you’ll learn how to find your own voice.

This is part eight of a 10-part series on style and voice. Writers in the Story Course and the Story Intensive can determine their writing style by taking the Style Diagnosis Quiz. This is a tool to help you highlight elements of style in your own work and point you to authors who may inspire you right now.

Read the rest of the Style Diagnosis series here: — Deeper Than You Think — Fearless — Grounded Fantasist — Quirky but Serious — Intimate Orator — Visceralist — Minimalist — Pointy With Intellect — Stylist — Bookish (below)

Are you a Bookish writer?

Your writing has an exceptionally sophisticated tone — your pacing is elegant, languid, and patient. Your stories are often longer than most, and your readers can feel like they are immersed in a novel even when they’re reading a short story.

You’re not afraid to write expository or summary narrative, because you know how powerful these can be when a writer uses them with confidence.

Your work is traditional and commanding, designed for beauty and endurance.

Read the following books to learn about other Bookish writers:

• Richard Ford, A Multitude of Sins

• Alice Munro, Runaway

• E.L. Doctorow, Sweet Land Stories

• Min Jin Lee, Pachinko

• Donna Tartt, The Secret History

• Zadie Smith, Swing Time

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

Love,

Photo credit (top): Florencia Viadana on Unsplash