This came to me the other day as I was thinking about how competitive the writing market is. When I thought about how competitive things are and how much agents and publishers would like for you to change some things to be more marketable, it occurred to me how easy it is to interpret that as changing your style. Style is very important. There really is no right or wrong; there are styles, preferences, and tastes. Every book will have an audience. There are some books out there on the shelves that I wonder how did they ever get published that other people absolutely LOVE and adore. There are other books that are widely acclaimed and received that I just can't get into.
My sister is an excellent storyteller. She starts out with a hook to grab your interest so that whatever comes next, you are willing to sit through just to get to that end. She throws in enough humor and drama to keep you entertained to the end. My mother tends to be more long-winded in her stories and explanations and will exaggerate the truth of the actual occurrences to create drama to keep you interested, and most importantly she enjoys her own stories. I tend to rush through things. I am so excited about revealing the big twist and surprise at the end of my story that I rush through the details to get to the end. My stories tend to be vivid and complex and provoke thought, and a lot of times I can easily lose my audience if I get too technical without the detailed explanations.
Now, if you gave my mother, sister, and I the same story to tell... we would each tell it in a different way. We all share the memory of how our mother scared the crap out of us one Halloween when we were younger. My mother's version involves us breaking rules and deserving a good scare. My sister's version involves a note giving us permission to trick-or-treat, and our cunning mother switching off the electricity so that we'd be in complete darkness when we returned home. My version involves me being the foolish hero and volunteering to inspect the thumping and bumping in the darkness and jumping ten feet back, knocking everyone over, when our mother finally revealed herself, face painted white, shouting "It's Halloween!" The other details I would probably rush through to get to that point as I did in the previous sentence (a long one, I know).
I like to foreshadow, switch perspectives, and focus on relationships between characters. I particularly don't believe in there being one "hero" because that, to me, is not realistic or as thrilling as the combining of forces and strengths to overcome obstacles and challenges... that's just my style. Is it as marketable as the hero on a journey who comes into power? Probably not, but the market is ever changing, and not to mention there's always the possibility that someone can come along and set a new standard in the market.
So here's the bottom line... stick to your style! Write for your self! If you love what you write then chances are others will too. Will you have as many in your audience as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King? Who knows. Such thoughts can stop productivity and creativity. If you immerse yourself in your world, then you will never be lost because you know your world like no other. If they suggest changes... make the changes, but don't change your style. Style separates you from everyone else. How many times did Rowling get rejected? How many times did Tolkien think people wouldn't read what he wrote? But that never stopped them and they put a bit of themselves, as storytellers and as human beings, in every word... let us all do the same.
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