Writing Tips – Mind Maps: Style
Finally, once you have thought about all the other aspects covered in my other mind maps, you then need to consider the writing style you want to employ to create the story. In the mind map below, these are some of the aspects (let me know if you can think of others I have missed!)
There are four main sections – Tense, spelling, voice and grammar.
Tense
There are three types of tense – past, present and future. The easiest to use is past, as the events have already occurred; we ran quickly, as we struggled to catch the out of control cart. The second most common is present tense which describes the situation as it happens; We were running quickly, struggling to catch the out of control cart. Finally there is future tense; we will have to run quickly, as we will struggle to catch the out of control cart.
Voice
The narrative voice or view is how the story is explained to the reader. 1st person view is taken from the eyes of the person describing the situation. 2nd person view, which is very rare, is a view which describes one of the characters as the reader by referring to them in the story. For example, you will have to run quickly, so you can catch that out of control cart. You better hope that your ankles are ready for the run. 3rd person is used frequently, as it allows for the greatest flexibility. All of the characters are referred as “they”, “he”, “she” and never “I” or “we”. The narrator in this case cannot be a character within the story, as then it would turn it back to 1st person. For more information on narrative voice, check out this wiki entry.
Spelling
Spelling is crucial. If there is a lapse in spelling, it throws off the whole rhythm of the story. This is one aspect of the writing that must be checked thoroughly and a multitude of times to ensure that each word is spelt correctly. These will include names and non-words (imaginary words created by the author). Is the word from a different language? Ensure that any accents on words are correct. How about regions? Even if your main language is English, is it British or American English?
Grammar
This is the entire structure of the story. Firstly, punctuation. Using the correct punctuation changes the flow of the story and ensures that the reader knows where to pause. Without correct punctuation, it can cause confusion and misunderstanding.
The next component of grammar is the structure of the chapters. The chapters, although building blocks of the story, are like mini stories in themselves. They have a beginning, middle and end. The end doesn’t close out the entire story, it may even introduce more questions than it answered. These chapters are made up of paragraphs, which are made of sentences. These sentences have rules for how they begin and end and what components they can contain.
All of these aspects need to be considered to ensure the writing style is concise and the structure of the story is solid. If there are more aspects that I have missed, please let me know and I will add them in!
Find my other mind maps at the directory!
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