Changes in writing style

[Mnkinkcpl]

I just read through a story I have been working on for almost three years. I can see a slight change in the parts I wrote in the beginning to the effort I put in this morning.

Little unconsequential things like spelling out numbers vs. just using the numbers.

Using many more breaks to make it easier to read.

Using "come" instead of "cum"

And the flow is better in the newer sections.

Just wondering if you think I should go back and change the little things or just leave them?

 

[JaxRhapsody]

People will notice the change, if you care enough, you should. Things like that happen as you progress. I was looking at something I wrote over ten years ago, and asked out loud to myself; who wrote this?

 

[Paul_Chance]

Yes, if it is in a single story, little stylistic changes are very noticeable. It's worth the effort in the editing phase of writing to clean them up..

 

[Mnkinkcpl]

People will notice the change, if you care enough, you should. Things like that happen as you progress. I was looking at something I wrote over ten years ago, and asked out loud to myself; who wrote this?

That's what I was thinking, but it's over thirty thousand words. *Sigh*

 

[KeithD]

Such usage should be consistent across the story, so, yes, if the changes are in the same work, you should standardize them across the work.

 

[SimonDoom]

Stylistic usages should be consistent. Some shouldn't be hard to do with a search and replace feature.

 

[Mnkinkcpl]

Stylistic usages should be consistent. Some shouldn't be hard to do with a search and replace feature.

Yeah I guess I'm going to have to edit that one on the computer. For the last year or so I have been using my phone to write, it's so much easier to write as inspiration and time allow verses making time when I'm home.

 

[JaxRhapsody]

That's what I was thinking, but it's over thirty thousand words. *Sigh*

Yeah well... editing is a part of writing. Your style changed over the past three years. So is rewriting. That book I was talking about; has like five more in the series that need be finished, edited, rewritten. Then there's the offshoots...

If it's something other people are intended to read, then you either need to rewrite it to reflect your new(probably better) style, or continue it as it was written already.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Kudos for the patience to wait for the story to be complete before publishing it. Imagine how much more challenging the edits would be if they were in previously submitted work.

You may want to use an application such as Grammarly to assist you with the most basic grammatical and style foopahs.

 

[Mnkinkcpl]

Kudos for the patience to wait for the story to be complete before publishing it. Imagine how much more challenging the edits would be if they were in previously submitted work.

You may want to use an application such as Grammarly to assist you with the most basic grammatical and style foopahs.

Thanks for the advice.

Any relation to Brandi Brandt? One of my favorite playboy bunnies

 

[UsuallyPresent]

I certainly agree that the descriptive and out-of-character information should maintain a consistent tone and style within a tale. I'd posit that there are cases, however, when a character or narrator's in-character tone and style might and perhaps even should change. For instance, Flowers for Algernon has the protagonist's speech change radically throughout the tale, and with great rationale.

Another example could be when the primary narrator changes within the tale, especially if their worldviews are radically divergent. What one saw as a good thing the other might well characterize as evil, for one of many possible examples.

 

[Mnkinkcpl]

Fortunately the characters have remained consistent, mostly because they are based on real people, same with the story line based very loosely on some friends and their journey into swinging.

I've already emailed the doc to myself so I can edit it on my computer. I'm not going to take it any further until that is done.