< Changing Writing Style? >

[Kairyn]

I am afraid that my writing style is generally robotic with little to no dynamics or emotions implemented to it.
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And I really want to change it. Usually, I read other people's writings to reference off of, experiment with, or take inspiration from.
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Other than that, I'm just growing tired from my robotic old writing style and I just want it to make it more interesting. 
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[Little]

I've definitely been there, my friend. More than once. I can't tell you there's a cure, a fix for this. I can't tell you how to magically change your style to the way you want it to be, but what I can tell you from experience is to read. Read read read. Read until all you think about is reading. Read a book that captures a writing style you enjoy, and study it as best as you can. Learn from it. Try to imitate it, try to experiment. This obviously isn't a permanent fix, but over time your writing style will change as you read more. Hope this helps. 

 

[StoneWolf18]

I've definitely been there, my friend. More than once. I can't tell you there's a cure, a fix for this. I can't tell you how to magically change your style to the way you want it to be, but what I can tell you from experience is to read. Read read read. Read until all you think about is reading. Read a book that captures a writing style you enjoy, and study it as best as you can. Learn from it. Try to imitate it, try to experiment. This obviously isn't a permanent fix, but over time your writing style will change as you read more. Hope this helps. 

This is exactly what I did. I found a style I loved and I imitated it to get my writing where I want it. ^^

 

[Little]

This is exactly what I did. I found a style I loved and I imitated it to get my writing where I want it. ^^

Precisely! I learned to do this some years ago after I realized my writing mirrored the books I was reading, and I quite enjoyed it. Whenever I'm hitting writer's block or am running low on muse, I read a lot and it seems to help a bit. I think it's natural for writers to be fueled, if you will, by the things they read. It gives them motivation, and for one thing it helps them find their own writing style as well, eventually. 

 

[NemoTheSurvivor]

Don't have your characters act like mannequins. Seriously, add some movement between spoken words. Have someone shift their stance to reflect their mood, gesture towards what they're talking about, or even subtle features like eyes lighting up or adding an adjective to "smile" (warm smile, simple smile, uneasy smile; no two smiles are alike). Remember, a large part of communication is unspoken, so adding some action into a dialogue section can help express a wider range of emotions.

 

[Whisker]

Reading is a good way to get your muse in the right direction. There is more to it, however, when creating your own style. I can suggest a few tips I used when creating my own:

• Use action words! Don't use the same two or three boring verbs over and over again. Here's a list to help spruce up your posts and get some eye-grabbing kick to them: http://cdn.writershelpingwriters.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Active-Verbs-List.pdf
   
  
• Balance between generalizing and specifics. There's a huge difference between saying "She helped herself to a soda" and "She chugged down an ice-cold Dr. Pepper straight from the fridge". 
   
  
• Don't be a slave to your English teacher. In creative writing, it's all about flow. Does your idea flow easily from one paragraph to another in a way that makes sense even if it isn't the orthodox school method? And is there a way to utilize it to convey the tone to your audience? It's up to every writer to master this and make it their own. For example, I like to use choppy sentences in action scenes, quickening the pace. In slower scenes, I'll have more descriptors and use white space to my advantage to ensure the audience feels inclined to read something other than a wall of text. I might quote songs if one's playing in the background or use italicized onomatopoeias where appropriate to draw people in.
   
  
•  White Space. White Space. White Space. Use it. It is your friend and ally, your shield against TLR. 
   
  
• Dialogue is important. Don't bury it in text. You don't have to be as hardnosed about it as I am since I like to separate ALL of my dialogue from the rest of the text as well as bold it, but just don't bury it.
  

* There are just some suggestions of things to play around with and think about. It's really up to the individual to find what works for them. The most helpful thing is to read works from good authors and absorb how they approach a scene.

 

[Jellyon]

The best advice I can give to you is to practice, practice, and practice. While it sounds general and lame, it's the best form of improving by all levels. Reading off of others is good too, but it's best to take what you learned and applying it in your own sort of style to it. Another piece of advice I can provide is to learn new words every day. This will help build your vocab and make your writing add a little of pazza (Or however you spell it >_<) As well when roleplaying with a character that is not your yourself, one thing I learnt over the years is that think what would that character do in a certain situation different from what you would do yourself. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't. Take what you will. Hope it helps!

 

[Grey]

Read.


Read.


Read.


Continue reading until you can no longer afford books nor fit them into your home.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

One thing I do (That i rarely see anyone else do) is make fragmented sentences on purpose. Simply for style. Its hard to come up with an example. But I guess, just try to come up with your own style of writing, instead of writing things as "perfect" as they can be.


Authors are authors because they have a certain style, not because they know english writing well lol

 

[Bone2pick]

I am afraid that my writing style is generally robotic with little to no dynamics or emotions implemented to it.
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Can you speak with passion?

 

[Ritzy]

If you're here, you must have some sort of passion. Be it passion for gaming, fandom, sempai, or any number of the three or some monstrous configuration of other things. Reading is a good start. That can fuel your imagination, and I can attest that the glory of my library is something truly breathtaking to behold. There is more to it than that. It's about a love for the character. Be the character. Think about how you would act in their place. Not just from a gaming standpoint, as duh that's all we do here, but almost to an insane level. If you can cough up the cash, or if you are younger and your high school offers it, take an acting class. That helps to get into another's mindset. Be aware though that sometimes, not every character will be an ace. Sometimes you write yourself into a brick wall. I've done this many a time with dice type role playing games. I'm much better, character wise on PbP, as I have time to think, judge the emotion of the room, then act. Remember also that this is not a solo effort. It takes many to create a world. You'll fire your imagination better with more people to play your imagination off of. Take my main group. @PixieDust and @crucialstar are my longest friends I've had at this site, very near as long as I've been a member. I played games with other people before but, no one quite itched that need for a long, story driven game. They fueled my passion, look for others to fuel that passion that most assuredly burns inside you. Reading, classes, and helpful posts are great but, what really helps is caring and passionate people you can bounce ideas off of. There are many, many people on this site that burn with passion. Find them. Even if you start off as a newbie in a long running game, if they are anything like my friends, they will welcome the additional member of the family with open arms and light the fire you seek to start. Play off other people. Be in the character's mind. Read. These are the three things that can help you improve, not only your writing style, but you as a gamer. Likely, I would have never have stayed on the site without those two. I was a pure dice gamer and the thought of 'Feelings' into my games beyond 'hit until it stops moving' was alien to me. Crack open The Belgariad. It was the first book that gave me a passion for reading. Good luck. 

 

[TPBx]

I've definitely been there, my friend. More than once. I can't tell you there's a cure, a fix for this. I can't tell you how to magically change your style to the way you want it to be, but what I can tell you from experience is to read. Read read read. Read until all you think about is reading. Read a book that captures a writing style you enjoy, and study it as best as you can. Learn from it. Try to imitate it, try to experiment. This obviously isn't a permanent fix, but over time your writing style will change as you read more. Hope this helps. 

This. You can even make robotic writing seem charismatic when you see how it's done. War Stories like All Quiet on The Western Front and The Things They Carried are wonderful examples it as they were written by soldiers and have that sort of robust, inelegant form of writing.