Style

In writing fiction, the more fantastic the tale, the plainer the prose should be. Don't ask your readers to admire your words when you want them to believe your story.

--Ben Bova

Some people make writing look easy. Others make it look complicated. Let's look at the authors of Good Omens, for example. When I read Terry Pratchett's writing, I am constantly impressed by his ability to construct jokes hidden beneath layers of language. It's complex. Neil Gaiman's style is straight forward. It's crafted with such sincerity that the reader never doubts what is said or scrutinizes how it was said.

Everyone has their own style and their own voice. I'm not going to tell you how to find your own voice. That's something you should have done before writing the novel, and there are plenty of resources to help you. I'm going to tell you about some style tricks that will help you in your revision.

Style Elements

Abstractions
Description
Dialogue
Interruptions
Psychic Distance
Emotion
Breaking Cliches
Diction and Grammar
Irony
Sentence Level