By Cindy Sproles @CindyDevoted

It’s hard when you go against the grain – when your writing style isn’t what is trending at the time. I’ve always been a “write outside the box” sorta gal. The thing is, conference teachers loved my style but publishers were afraid.

I’m a born and raised mountain girl. Born in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, our family is soaked to the bone with a rich and unique heritage. As a result, my writing voice is strong in the mountain dialect and phraseology. As fun as it is to write, it comes with its share of issues. The most prevalent issue being, how much is too much? How far should I push editors to keep the realism of the mountains through dialogue? Then the issue of the narrative comes into play. My novels are written in first person, so do I push editors to allow the narrative to continue to ring true to the mountain dialect? It was a lot and a lot that was not standard in the industry. You might say, I had to learn to walk the line of breaking the rules without overdoing it.

Writers have rules to abide by that bring about continuity and industry standards. Many times, the rules don’t play well with what we’ve learned in school. Keep in mind, grammar rules don’t change, but at times the rules of writing and structure do. Your job as a writer is to learn to walk the line without overstepping. And trust me – it’s not an easy line to walk.

When my first Appalachian historical novel was contracted, my editor asked me why the narrative was not more proper? Did I not think that it would throw the reader? My response was simple. The story is written in first-person. Why would my character speak dialogue one way but revert in the narrative to something more proper? It’s the same person speaking and narrating. My editor pondered that then replied, “You’re right. It doesn’t make sense that a first-person narrative would step out of character just because we’re accustomed to the narrative being more proper. We’ll trust you.”

Moving ahead, each of my novels in the first-person includes a narrative written in the mountain dialect. Would this work for everyone? Most likely not but in my case, I broke the rules correctly and it won the respect of the editor, publisher, and the reader. The narrative in my books remains in character with the protagonist and how she speaks. It was risky and we wondered if readers would accept this change without a knee-jerk response. To our surprise, beta readers loved it. They commented that normally this would bother them, but in this case, it fits perfectly. It took a couple of pages for them to adjust but once they did, the story flowed perfectly. Flawlessly. They were drawn into a more realistic adventure. The risk was worth the effort. So how did we make this work so smoothly? I learned to tell a story, not write one.

Learn to tell a story

Believe it or not, there is a difference between writing and telling a story. Anyone can write a story on paper, but learning to tell an engaging story – that’s a different thing.

Adding color to the story makes all the difference. When we listen to someone tell us a story, we’re drawn in by the colorful detail. The facial expressions, the humor, the scene they paint for us to enjoy the tale they spin. For me and my characters, it was the dialect. The phrases. The ways of the mountain. It was learning to drop in just enough of these things too, as my mamaw used to say, “wet their whistle.” It was learning to not overwhelm readers with too much color but with just enough shading that a picture slowly drew out in their minds. They could hear the twang of the people but at the same time, they could feel the vastness of the mountains around them. In essence, they became part of the story.

It takes practice to tell a story. So how do you begin? You begin with who you are. Knowing yourself leads you to amazing adventures. When you know who you are, you realize the boundaries that surround you and just how far you can stretch a toe over them without fouling up.

Find your writing style

Just as finding your voice can sometimes be a bit testy, so can finding your writing style. Let’s define voice. Simply put: voice is your way of saying things. It’s how you phrase, how you place words that either ring true for a reader or not. When you force those things, there is no voice. It comes across as fake and mechanical but when you let you be you and write as yourself, then your voice seeps out. It’s because you’ve suddenly unleashed who you are. Once you discover your voice, your style quickly follows. My voice is very true to who I am. If you know me, you know my mountain accent is thick and you also experience the phrases and stories of my mountain heritage. When I allow those things to enter into my writing, things become relaxed and the reader falls into a conversational style of writing that allows them the freedom to kick off their shoes.

Don’t overwrite

So many times, writers feel like they must beat a thought into their reader’s head. They’ll explain an incident through dialogue, then in the narrative, then again in actions. Readers are pretty smart cookies. They get it when we share it the first time. They don’t need you reminding them twenty ways from Sunday. Once is enough. A writer simply has to master the best way to convey and then trust in their ability to make it clear one time. 

Spend time reading your work out loud. When you hit those spots that feel awkward, stop. Re-read it. Refine it. Your writing style is only as unique as you. A good writer spends time getting to know themselves and then allowing themselves permission to place that style on the page. Once you master your style your writing will become fearless and unique. You know what they say, “Practice makes perfect.”

Cindy K. Sproles is an author, speaker, and conferenceteacher. She is the cofounder of ChristianDevotions.us and the executive editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Cindy is the managing editor forStraight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, both imprints of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is an award-winning and best-selling author and the director of the Asheville Christian Writers Conference. Visit Cindy at www.cindysproles.com. @cindydevoted