Peanut Butter and Cherub

Today's Prompt: Writing with Style. What’s your writing style? Do words just flow from your mind to your fingertips? Do you like handwriting first? Do you plan your posts? Title first or last? Where do you write best?

I write the majority of my blog posts on my iPhone notes app, snuggling my two babies during their afternoon nap.

And I tend to compose everything I write in one fluid motion, with little to no editing. It's not stream of consciousness because there is a clear path in my head from start to finish.

Like the author of a story, I know in advance what I expect of my characters. They may develop quirks as I write, but it happens rather organically.

In that same way, each blog post has a focal point and a direction. I enter the "zone" and let the specifics unfold. When I finish, I usually find a work so tightly crafted that I can't stick a new sentence in if I wanted to.

That's not to say it's perfect. Just that it's compact...but also usually lengthy. Conundrum. Hmm.

Anyway, my title is usually my favorite part of a post. Usually chosen in a spark of inspiration. Often a reference to a song or a poem. And maybe not an allusion that anyone but me will get. I'm okay with that, but I do always secretly hope someone gets the reference.

I also try to include an image of some sort with every post, though that's challenging sometimes. I don't have the mad photo editing skills I wish I had.

Once the post is written, titled, and illustrated, I throw it to my Blogger app and save it until I can steal a minute to get to my laptop for formatting and other details. Publish, promote, and then I'm good to go.

As to other aspects of style, I keep going back to my voice teacher's description of me in a recommendation some years ago. She called my voice clear, bell-tone, with a strong two and a half octaves.

I like to think that my narrative voice shares those qualities. Clarity. Resonance. Range.

My favorite lit professor used to scribble "You write like an angel." at the bottom of my papers. Now I just write sandwiched between them. :)