Adapting Your Writing Style
Posted on 27 June 2007 by Sharon
Most freelance writers have a writing style that feels comfortable to them. When I’m writing my own stuff, I write like a Brit. That means flowing, run on sentences and a style that’s slightly wordier than the AP style. I write for a lot of British clients and that style works well for them. However, I also write for American clients and then I have to change my style. When writing for them, I have to keep sentences short and snappy - and keep it simple (that’s what an editor told me once). No phrases and clauses, either.
As a freelance writer, you have to be ready to alter your style when the job demands it. This is not only about grammatical style, but also about matching the writing to the subject matter. Academic writing is different from feature writing is different from web content writing and so on.
What I’ve found, though, is that you have to pay attention. I did two jobs for the same client. One of them was virtually perfect, lulling me into a false sense of security. The other one had a few extra clauses, which I am now ruthlessly excising.
There are three ways that you can adapt your writing to any circumstance:
First, know what your writing style is. If you can identify the things that make you you, then you can cut some of those out to make your writing more suitable for others.
Second, identify the style that the client likes. Sometimes they tell you exactly what they want, or give you examples of writing they like. Study these examples and mimic them, letting a small bit of your style creep in - just enough to make it different, but not enough to scare the client.
Third, pretend you are someone else. If you are a ghostwriter, then you are probably already doing this every day. As ghostwriters, our job is to write in our clients’ voice, whatever our own personal style.
I’d love to hear from you about your take on writing style.
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Tags | freelance writing, get paid to write, help me write, journalism, learn-to-write, writing, writing skills, writing style
June 27th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
It’s funny… I worked for years for a publication with a 6th grade reading level audience. It took me months of writing other types of articles before I was finally able to include words with more than two syllables. I find that switching “styles” sometimes requires practice, and almost always requires diligence.
June 27th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Yes, and failure to exercise diligence can cost you money, because you spend time correcting things you’ve already written when you could be writing something new.
June 27th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
When I write for british clients, I think with an English accent. I’m Canadian and know a lot of English and Scottish people so I think about words they’d choose so it’s not difficult for me.
When I blog, I blog in my own voice. When I hit a rhythm, it feels like a speech given off the cuff and it’s wonderful.
when I get into storyteller mode, I think about telling something to my kids and imagine them watching me.
It helps me to picture my audience reading over my shoulder.
GREAT post!
June 27th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I like your approach too, Dana. Keeping the client in mind is an essential part of getting the tone right.