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Neil Gaiman on Style

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(@martin-l-shoemaker)
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Neil Gaiman says “Style is the stuff you get wrong.” It's the way you create in ways that no one else would, because they're "not supposed to".
 
So be wary of those who would tell you you're doing it wrong. They might have a point, but they might be unwittingly working to erase your style, your voice--the precise character that makes your work uniquely, distinctly yours.
 
Does that mean I think you should argue with editors? Yes. No. Maybe? Heinlein's controversial Rule 3 is "You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order." Harlan Ellison famously added, “And then only if you agree.” Ultimately it's your name on the story. It has to reflect what you intend, not the editor's vision. Let the editor write their own story, you write yours.
 
Editors have valuable insights. They see the story from the outside, while you see it from the inside. They see it from the perspective of someone who sees a LOT of stories, and sees what works and what doesn't. These are useful perspectives.
 
My editors at 47North made an extensive analysis of The Last Dance and The Last Campaign to identify my voice, my habits that break "the rules" but are just how I write. They documented these so that copy editors and proofreaders would NOT correct my voice. That impressed the heck out of me. (It was also enlightening. I didn't realize I was doing some of these things.)
 
But some editors have simple rubrics that they treat as rules, and that YOU should treat as suggestions. A common one is those who highlight and eliminate repeated words. Because repeated words that get repeated make the user wonder why they're repeated, and eventually they find the repeated words annoying and distracting as they're repeated. So repeatedly the editors mark or remove these repeated words.
 
Is that useful? Sometimes. Sometimes not. I'm a fan of parallelism, both strong and weak. When I repeat a word or phrase, especially multiple times, I'm trying to build resonance or emphasis. Sometimes editors see that, sometimes they don't. So sometimes when an editor changes my repeated words, I stet it. It's not wrong, it's my voice.
 
Listen to suggestions, but don't be ruled by them. Stand up for your style.
 
--------
 
(Gaiman says he first heard the quote from Jerry Garcia, but no one can find such a quote (and sadly, Garcia is no longer around to ask). So I'm happy attributing the quote to Gaiman.)

http://nineandsixtyways.com/
Tools, Not Rules.
Martin L. Shoemaker
3rd Place Q1 V31
"Today I Am Paul", WSFA Small Press Award 2015, Nebula nomination 2015
Today I Am Carey from Baen
The Last Dance (#1 science fiction eBook on Amazon, October 2019) and The Last Campaign from 47North

 
Posted : April 17, 2022 9:30 am
Morgan, Disgruntled Peony, David Hankins and 5 people reacted
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(@rschibler)
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Great topic, Martin. I’d like to add that this goes for crits too, even (especially!) from people you might think of as ‘better’ or ‘more advanced’ than you. Ultimately I think learning to write well is as much about learning which feedback/rules don’t work for you as what does work for you.


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Posted : April 17, 2022 9:04 pm
(@martin-l-shoemaker)
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@rschibler Agreed. We crave certainty. There isn't, there's just ideas to consider as we stumble in the darkness.

http://nineandsixtyways.com/
Tools, Not Rules.
Martin L. Shoemaker
3rd Place Q1 V31
"Today I Am Paul", WSFA Small Press Award 2015, Nebula nomination 2015
Today I Am Carey from Baen
The Last Dance (#1 science fiction eBook on Amazon, October 2019) and The Last Campaign from 47North

 
Posted : April 17, 2022 9:48 pm
Disgruntled Peony
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Posted : April 18, 2022 4:53 pm
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