Writing "style" and "sound"

So far, I’m enjoying Lukeman’s The First Five Pages. It almost makes me feel like I’m in the process of becoming an editor because the more I get into the book the more I am able to identity errors in writing. The notions of sound in chapter 3 and style in chapter 5 caught my attention particularly. As Lukeman points out, I agree that “stylistic errors are among the easiest to recognize and the hardest to fix”(66). Being an English major, I am used to professors writing on the margins of my papers saying something like “this paragraph is awkward,” “tighten your prose,” or “your argument isn’t strong enough.” They are all pointing to the problems in my writing style.

In page 67, Lukeman asks, “what’s more important: your writing or the story?” This reminded me of my college application essay. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to write about but most importantly, I wanted the essay to be written extremely well: to sound intelligent. When my friend read my essay, she said that the writing was good but it could be more personal and to the point. This was a rude awakening for me. The essay was about my experiences but when I read it, it almost sounded like I was talking about someone else. Thanks to my friend, I rewrote the whole thing with intentions not to sound intelligent but to get my point across. I tried to express my ideas more directly, putting importance in the story.

I think writing style goes hand in hand with sound. In chapter 3, Lukeman advices writers that “even if your sentence sounds great, always ask yourself if its meaning is clear for the reader”(47). Taking my college essay again as an example, my initial draft sounded smart but clearly its meaning wasn’t clear for my friend. I think that a prose “sounds” right when one employs the most effective way of getting a point across to the readers.

Writing Resources from an Unlikely Place

I hate to admit (seeing how I am might completely fit into the female stereotype right now)but I love writing and reading chick lit. I mean write what you know, right? Well, back in my creative writing days I used to visit eHarlequin.com. It just so happens to be a site that is completely overloaded with information that it might take you a while to navigate through the site, but there is an interesting section that even you non-romance writer mite like called “Write” (not very creative I know).


There is a section on Writing Guidelines, which gives you all the different rules on submitting to the various imprints of the Harlequin Company, including MIRA and Red Dress Ink. After reading these guidelines, you might want to submit a manuscript and they have a section that shows you submission samples to give you an idea of how things are formatted. Like Lukeman stated the same general ideas apply, but now you are able to see actual examples on the website. You can see how to write a sample query letter or a sample synopsis. It is a great place to learn the tools of the trade.

They also have an area where you can submit your manuscript for feedback. A place where experts can read you story and give you ideas on how to improve it. There are also various articles about being a writer and how to submit your work. Articles such as “Top 10 Writing Dos or Don’ts” and “What turns your readers off?” are just to name a few.

Like I said even if Romance is not your genre, it would not hurt to look at the site to get a few ideas on how writing and the industry works. And you never know…you might just find your niche.