- Style (fiction)
In
fiction , style is the manner in which the author tells the story.Elements of fiction
There is little consensus regarding the number and composition of the fundamental elements of
fiction , but style is sometimes included. Among other elements cited are character, plot, setting, and theme. Debate continues regarding the elements of fiction. [http://www.helium.com/tm/197298/fifth-element-other-stuff]Components of style
There appears to be little consensus regarding the subject of style in fiction. The topics listed below are among the subjects listed as aspects of style, or of a writer's voice.
Fiction-writing modes
Fiction is a form ofnarrative , one of the fourrhetorical modes of discourse. Fiction-writing also has distinct forms of expression, or modes, each with its own purposes and conventions. Agent and author Evan Marshall identifies five fiction-writing modes: action, summary, dialogue, feelings/thoughts, and background Harvard citation | Marshall | 1998 | pp = 143-165. Author and writing-instructorJessica Page Morrell lists six delivery modes for fiction-writing: action, exposition, description, dialogue, summary, and transition Harvard citation | Morrell | 2006 | p = 127. Author Peter Selgin refers to "methods", including action, dialogue, thoughts, summary, scene, and description Harvard citation | Selgin | 2007 | p = 38. Currently, there is no consensus within the writing community regarding the number and composition offiction-writing modes and their uses. [http://www.helium.com/tm/197336/fiction-writing-modes-tools]Narrator
The narrator is the teller of the story, the orator, doing the mouthwork, or its in-print equivalent. A writer is faced with many choices regarding the narrator of a story:
first-person narrative ,third-person narrative ,unreliable narrator ,stream-of-consciousness writing . A narrator may be either obtrusive or unobtrusive, depending on the author's intended relationship between himself, the narrator, the point-of-view character, and the reader [http://www.helium.com/tm/197356/fiction-writing-schizophrenia-relationship] .Point of View
Point of view is from whose consciousness the reader hears, sees, and feels the story.
Allegory
Allegory is a work of fiction in which the symbols, characters, and events come to represent, in somewhat point-by-point fashion, a different metaphysical, political, or social situation.
ymbolism
Symbolism refers to any object or person which represents something else. Allegory is the representation of ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in a story.Tone
Tone refers to the attitude that a story creates toward its subject matter. Tone may be formal, informal, intimate, solemn, somber, playful, serious, ironic, condescending, or many other possible attitudes. Tone is sometimes referred to as the mood that the author establishes within the story.
Imagery
Imagery Punctuation
Punctuation Word choice
Diction , in its original, primary meaning, refers to the writer's or the speaker's distinctivevocabulary choices and style of expression. Literary diction analysis reveals how a passage establishes tone and characterization; for example, a preponderance of verbs relating physical movement suggests an active character, while a preponderance of verbs relating states of mind portrays an introspective character.entence structure
Grammar ubtlety
Cohesion
Consistency
Reader involvement
Voice
how, Don't Tell
Show, don't tell References
*cite book
last = Bickham
first = Jack M.
title = Scene & Structure
pp = 12-22, 50-58
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
year = 1993
id = ISBN 0-89879-551-6
* cite book
title = Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print
last = Browne & King
publisher = Harper Resource
location = New York
year = 2004
pp = 12, 117
id= ISBN 0-06-054569-0
*cite book
title = Character & Viewpoint
first = Orson Scott
last = Card
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
location = Cincinnati, OH
year = 1988
id= ISBN 0-89879-307-6
* cite book
title = Finding Your Voice: How to Put Personality in Your Writing
first = Les
last = Edgerton
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
location = Cincinnati, OH
year = 2003
id = ISBN 1-58297-174-9
*citation
first = Nancy
last = Kress
periodical = Writer's Digest
date = August 2003
p = 38
*cite book
title = The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing
first = Evan
last = Marshall
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
location = Cincinnati, OH
year = 1998
pp = 143-165
id=ISBN 1-58297-062-9
*cite book
title = Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing
first = Jessica Page
last = Morrell
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
location = Cincinnati, OH
year = 2006
p = 127
id = ISBN 978-1-58297-393-7
*cite book
first = Peter
last = Selgin
title = By Cunning & Craft: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for fiction writers
publisher = Writer's Digest Books
location = Cincinnati, OH
year = 2007
p = 38
id=ISBN 978-1-58297-491-0
*cite book
first = Ben
last = Yagoda
title = The Sound on the Page: Great Writers Talk About Style and Voice in Writing
publisher = HarperResource
location = New York
year = 2004
id= ISBN 0-06-093822-6See also
*
Fiction
*Fiction-writing modes
*Show, don't tell
*Narrative
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