Author’s StylePam Winarski

Who painted this picture?An author’s style is like a painter’s style. Often, a painter chooses a certain style to work in. The style becomes a way of identifying certain artists. It is the same way with authors. The style of writing that authors choose becomes a way of identifying them from their text. But what is “style”?

Style is… the verbal identity of the writer; it is the way a piece of literature is written; it is not what is written, but how it is written.

Style can be…FormalConversationalJournalisticWordyornatePoeticDynamicElegant, etc.

What makes up an author’s style?

In painting, the painter creates his or her style by using different painting techniques to create a certain look.

In writing, the author creates his or her style by using different writing techniques to create a certain tone and mood for a piece.

So, What techniques do authors use to

help them create their own “style”?

DICTIONDICTION, or word choice, helps reveal

an author’s sense of style.

bigenormous

BOAT

yacht

strolledwalked

SHUTslammed

SYNTAXSentence structure (simple,

compound, complex, compound-complex)

Sentence types (imperative, exclamatory, declarative, interrogative)

Sentence length (short, medium, long)

Sentence order (the order of words in the sentence)

Why use figurative language? Figurative language is often used to speak about

abstract concepts in terms of concrete things Figurative language is sometimes used to

emphasize a point, make a vivid impression, or attract attention

Figurative language can motivate people to take action

Figurative language may aid the memory Figurative language adds color and vividness for

illustrating or clarifying a point Figurative language also can be used to obscure

the meaning for all but an intended audience

Other LITERARY DEVICES to help create style:

AppositivesAbsolutesParticiplesGerunds

Vivid verbsAdjectives shifted out of order

Appositive Definition: A noun or nominative phrase that

adds a second description, image, or idea to a previous noun.

Examples1st

The boat bobbed lifelessly in the Lake Michiganswells.

2ndThe meal was sparse, yet filling.

RevisedThe boat, a small weathered trawler with afaded inscription -- “Lucky Lady” --on the stern,bobbed lifelessly in the Lake Michigan swells.

The meal, a coarse mixture of gruel and warm grog,was sparse yet filling.

Absolutes Definition: a two-word phrase consisting of

a noun and an “ing” participle(a verb acting as an adjective)

Examples1st: The crowd urged an encore from the exhaustedband.

2nd: The mountain climber edged along the cliff.Revised

1st: Voices screeching, lighters clicking and flickering,the crowd urged an encore from the exhausted band.

2nd: The mountain climber edged along the cliff, handsshaking, feet trembling.

Participles• Participle= ing verb acts like an

adjectiveOriginal sentence: The enraged dog

attacked the intruder.Adding participles to the beginning:

Grunting, salivating, and charging, the enraged dog attacked the intruder.

Variations on the Participle Add a participial phrase (participle +

modifiers) Ex. Grunting from the gut and

charging with a vengeance, the enraged dog attacked the intruder.

Single participles= rapid movementParticipial phrases=slower, but equally

intense pace

GerundsGerunds are verbs, end in “-ing”

or “-ed”, used as nouns.Example:

Skiing is my favorite activity.

Sledding in the snow makes for winter break fun!

Vivid Verbs Definition: action verbs (helps create an active voice/

avoid “be” verbs that create a passive voice)

Examples1st: The snake was under the porch.

2nd: We were on the edge of a cliff, waiting desperatelyfor the overdue rescue team.

Revised1st: The snake, rattle shaking and tongue flicking,waited under the porch.

2nd: We clung desperately to the edge of a cliff, waitingfor the overdue rescue team.

Adjectives Out of Order>Adjectives modify nouns or pronounsUsually adjectives come before the noun they

modify. Original sentence: The dainty, delicate, wide-

eyed flamingo strutted across the lake.

>Adjectives out of order: Move the adjectives to a different place in the sentence. (Calls attention to those details.)

The dainty flamingo, delicate and wide-eyed, strutted across the lake.

Ex. The sniper, cautious and calculating, prepared to execute his target.

Combining Brush Strokes

Now it is your turn! Create two sentences for each of the following pictures using two

separate techniques.

Underline or highlight the brush strokes as you create your sentences.

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Other devices authors use:• Repetition/ anaphora: repeating a word, or

a series of words for a specific effect. Anaphora is repeating the word or words at the beginning of a sentence

• Rhetorical questions• Allusion: reference to some well know

literature, historical figure, historical time, event, etc

• Parallel structure: placement of equal ideas in words, phrases, or clauses of similar type

Example: The camp has excellent facilities for riding, hiking, and swimming.

Professional authors use these tools to create masterpieces

“Shifting the weight of the line to his left shoulder and kneeling carefully, he washed his hand in the ocean and held it there, submerged, for more than a minute, watching the blood trail away and the steady movement of the water against his hand as the boat moved.”

-Ernest HemingwayOld Man and the Sea

“Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm—into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires.”

-Stephanie MeyerNew Moon

An author’s use of style reveals his or her tone, or

attitude toward the subject matter.

Meaning is developed through style.

A study of diction. . . Is the analysis of how a writer uses

language for a distinct purpose & effect, including word choice and figurative language.

An author’s audience will determine how the author uses diction, syntax, and tone.

Extensions Continued• Students revise bland, simple sentences using these techniques.

• Students apply these techniques to your persuasive (or any other type of )writing.

• Students create your own variations on these techniques (Quiet. Silent. Still. The night was finally at peace.)