Sarah Selecky Writing School

An online creative writing school that approaches writing as an art, and also as a contemplative practice. We believe that skill comes from study, that inspiration comes from love, and that both are necessary.

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Are you a Stylist?

June 12, 2020 by Sarah Selecky 2 Comments

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 five 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 (remaining parts coming soon):
— Bookish — Deeper Than You Think — Fearless — Grounded Fantasist — Stylist (below) —


Are you a Stylist?

You respect conventional sentences, but you’ve learned how to deconstruct the sentence for your own use. You especially love the short story form, because in short fiction, language and style can take precedence over plot.

It’s not that you write without a safety net — it’s just that you like to write to see how long an idea will sustain itself.

Deep down, you know that you might actually be a poet: you are seduced by rhythm more than character. You trust your reader even more than most writers, but writing for you is a game of how far you can push it, and you find a thrill in being subversive and playful.

For you, language will always be king.

Read the following books to learn about other Stylist writers:
  • Lydia Davis, The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
  • Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other
  • Ali Smith, The First Person and Other Stories
  • Carmen Maria Machado, Her Body and Other Parties
  • George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo
  • Tanya Tagaq, Split Tooth
  • Daphne Gordon, Walking With Walser

Please leave your suggestions for other Stylist writers in the comments below.

xo,

Photo credit (top): Robert Keane on Unsplash


You Might Also Like:

  • Are you a Grounded Fantasist?Are you a Grounded Fantasist?
  • Are you a Fearless writer?Are you a Fearless writer?
  • Are you Deeper Than You Think?Are you Deeper Than You Think?
  • Are you a Bookish writer?Are you a Bookish writer?

Category: Book Recommendations, Technique & Mad Skills

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Comments

  1. Avatarcarla baden says

    November 10, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    Hi – Have the other parts 6-12 been published yet? I’d like to check them out.

    Reply
    • AvatarStoryStateSupport says

      November 10, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      Hi Carla,
      The rest of the series is still coming, month to month.
      Glad you enjoy them.

      Reply

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The School

  • About The School
  • Staff & Associates
  • Faculty
  • Guest Contributors
  • Our Alumni
  • Daily Prompts
  • Writing Contest
  • Little Bird Stories
  • Writing Practice Sessions
  • Special Programs
  • Consultations with Sarah
  • Free Resources
  • Letters
  • Connect
  • Student Login

Core Programs

  • The Story Course
  • The Story Intensive
  • The Story Workshop
  • Course Calendar

Connect

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Photography by Michelle Yee

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