I’ve blogged before about the impossibility of finding your niche, your niche finds you. Recently, I wrote about your unique perspective. But, there is one more piece to the writing puzzle: developing your style.
First and foremost, much like finding your niche, you don’t find your writing style without practice. It takes dedication to writing, it takes turning ideas in your head into written words. Your writing style isn’t developed by thinking, but by putting pen to paper. Not only do you have to consume a lot of ideas from books, blog posts, and great thinkers, but you have to learn how to put your ideas into coherent sentences. Developing a writing style isn’t easy, and it won’t come naturally. But if you consume enough information, and practice your craft, you will soon realize your writing style.
Looking For a Writer’s Style
The best book I’ve read recently that disguised the author’s writing style was The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. I didn’t notice the underlying Stoicism, even though Holiday has another book The Daily Stoic until he explicitly said it in the end. Instead of writing with continual quotations of Stoicism, Holiday used his knowledge of the subject to convey the message in his own words.
Anytime you read an author it’s important to look for their writing style. They have a perspective, honed over time, to provide unique insights on the subject. Their writing style will portray that.
My Writing Style
Since I’ve started blogging daily I have definitely developed a style to my writing. I have also found the authors and bloggers who put actionable ideas into my head. With a combination of past experiences, formal education, and self-directed learning I have found the things I’m passionate to write about. Below is a breakdown of the influences on my writing.
Philosophy/Religion
Since I’m not very religious I tend to think of my religious reading as philosophy. From the Toltecs to Buddhism, my religious study is a way to live life. My philosophical view has been developed through Stoicism. Likewise, my “always move forward” mentality has been heavily influenced by the Stoics.
Austrian Economics
George Mason University was my first awakening to the Austrian thinkers. F.A. Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Carl Menger, Henry Hazlitt, Murray Rothbard, etc. have all had a profound impact on my thoughts and ideas. If I can channel only a tiny bit of praxeology from Mises I would say my writing is a success.
Business Acumen
Being in accounting for the past four years and seeing how businesses operate I try to bring my corporate background into my style. I’ve seen many different organizations and know how each work from large corporate, to small corporate, to startup. Each experience has impacted my writing style, my thought processes and how I perceive the world around us.
Lifestyle
The last influence on my writing style is how I’ve been living my life since graduating college. Instead of settling for average I have spent a lot of time exploring what makes me tick. From traveling the country looking for my new home to settling in an outdoor-crazed community, to reading insightful blogs/books. Living life my way has helped give me my voice.
Although I try to encompass all of these aspects into my writing, I am in no way a master. I also had no intention of finding these out when I started blogging. I had no idea what I wanted to write about before, or that I could create my own voice. But through writing, and dedication to the craft, I have started to develop my style.
Eventually, I’d love to be able to write like Holiday, interweaving these views into a style so unique you don’t even notice. For now, I concentrate on consuming material in my wheelhouse and improving my writing on a daily basis.