Vary your tone, vary your rhythm, vary your intensity, vary your pace, vary your humour, vary your seriousness, vary your lights and darks, vary the length of your sentences, paragraphs, and chapters.
To vary all the elements of your writing will require that you read aloud, often, and that you find a natural way to work with variance. I watched the series Shetland with my partner in the beginning of this year, and I became far too aware of when things were going to happen. I said to Ron at one point, "it's been ten minutes - time for someone to wander through a dark hall or house soon - which may or may not end with a bad guy leaping out - but will give us that little adrenaline bump the writers think we need." In other words, don't make your inconsistencies too consistent!
The revision is the time to check for these changes in rhythm and intensity. Even when writing a thriller, it is good to give the reader a little break from time to time. Intersperse your murders with a great description of your detective eating a kitchen-sink sandwich. ( Lawrence Sanders) Or break up your critique of social mores with a description of a drawing room in a stately home.(Evelyn Waugh)
To vary does not mean to change your style suddenly, however. It means to work within your style but provide contrasting tones. If your whole novel sounds like the ranting of a vindictive lunatic, you will have achieved an effect - but is it the one you want? Even whiny teenagers are sometimes gentle and sweet. If you think variety isn't important consider reading something in which everything is in italics - or those goons who write comments only in caps. Gah!
Variety is the spice of life - it is indeed life itself. Every species depends on it, so it is no surprise it is a necessity in one's writing.
1 comment:
Love this choice, Jan! Varying things keeps the work of writing and editing from becoming tedious. And it keeps the writing itself more interesting.
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