How do I develop a writing style?

Question

People tell me I have talent and potential and I have won some awards for my writing, but I want to develop a distinct style.

Also can anyone name a few writing techniques of the following authors?

Jack Kerouac

Hunter S. Thompson

Chuck Palahniuk

Augusten Burroughs

James Frey

William Burroughs

Philip d**k

Thanks.

Answer 1

Interesting.  In my experience, 'people' tell everyone he has talent and potential when it comes to writing.  I've even known some professors of creative writing to do this.  You could test it out on Yahoo! Answers, too.  Write the most deliberately bad short story you can, full of plot holes and semi-obscene phrasing.  Then add a genre twist, like the main character turns out to be a vampire.  Bingo, instant praise.  But congratulations on the awards you've won.

Um... so yeah.  You develop writing style the same way you've developed your style of dress and speech.  You didn't exactly plan either, no?  Anyway, the analogy seems like pretty good food for thought.

I don't know any of the writing techniques of the authors you've mentioned, except that d**k, like Sartre, took a lot of speed before he wrote... maybe not the most inspiring idea.  But if you want to know their genres, Tim D has done a great job of pointing them out (I would only add that Burroughs also borders into sci-fi).

Answer 2

Write a lot and learn all of the rules and how to use them effectively.  Then, break them.  That's how most writers end up with a style of their own.  Just write a lot, and read a lot, and your style will develop over time.

Answer 3

The best way to develop your own style of writing is to read as many books as possible, and to sample an eclectic array of writers. There really isn't a formula for creating a style, it just sort of works into your writings.

Kerouac-Beat Generation prose writer

Thompson- Gonzo Journalism (Essentially blurring fiction and non-fiction)

Palahniuk- Self described "Transgressional Fiction"

A.Burroughs- A sort of "Thompsonesque" style of writing that combines the mundane with the sensational

Frey-Lying in the form of memoir

W. Burroughs- Some non-fiction, some beat, and essayist

d**k- Science Fiction, Postmodernism

I hope I helped some!

Answer 4

The best way to develop your style is to develop someone else's. What I mean is to develop your characters. Whether you are interested in script/playwriting or not, a great resource is Lajos Egri's "The Art of Dramatic Writing." The perfect place to start development. Google the author, you should find it.

Answer 5

Get a pencil, and start writing something, you may come up with something. write out a list, and make it so that all can read it.

Answer 6

You just write a lot and find your voice. Once you find your voice, your style will develop. Don't try to force a style because then it won't flow and it will sound strange.

Answer 7

You're probably gonna be annoyed when you read my answer, but I, too, am trying to develop my own profound writing style. I wish you the best of luck, though. :]