Poll: Writing styles - which is your favorite to read (easier, more fun, etc)?

Tim Westland (Moderator) ~ 8/10/2012 11:32 PM

AnswersVotesPercent
Tight and lean. Bare bones.1241%
Dialogue heavy, less action00%
DENSE... big paragraphs, details!13%
Flowery - lots of adjectives00%
Choppy/punchy - like a machine gun27%
Balanced... a little of everything621%
Short dialogue, short descriptions517%
Other (describe)310%

Masoud Soheili (Level 4) ~ 8/11/2012 1:11 AM

I think it depends on ...

Pia Cook (Level 5) ~ 8/11/2012 8:25 AM

I voted tight and lean...I might have had my thoughts mixed up with something else at the moment though...

Seriously though. I think it depends. Killing On Carnival Row came highly recommended as a screenplay being amazingly written as well as the story itself. I hated it and couldn't get through it. I think books are similar too. A lot of Stephen King books are near or sometimes even more than 1000 pages, yet, I love every page and don't want his books to end. Most scripts I read though, are nowhere near as good as his books, so tight and lean makes it easier to read.

I hate dialogue heavy scripts, unless they are written by someone like QT who can really write good dialogue.

Reginald McGhee (Level 0) ~ 8/11/2012 1:08 PM

I'm not sure about this one, because I'm still not familiar with the writns styles. I'm still new to screenwriting.

Sean Chipman (Level 4) ~ 8/11/2012 3:59 PM

I write in the same way I like to read; tight and lean.

Chris Keaton (Level 5) ~ 8/11/2012 11:55 PM

I'm with Sean.

Tim Westland (Moderator) ~ 8/12/2012 12:06 AM

Now we just have to define "tight and lean".

[insert evil, chaos-inspired laughter here]

Margaret Ricke (Level 5) ~ 8/12/2012 1:07 AM

I swear I wrote a post here earlier. I know I voted because it's no longer an option...

I went with tight and lean, but it really depends on the particular scene I'm writing.

I'll get a bit flowery if I want to set up a serene setting, but I usually try to keep it tight. I'll get pretty slam, bam if I'm writing a fast action scene. That's writing, though.

I generally like the same thing when I'm reading. I don't like having to look up definitions or references while I'm reading someone else's work. There are only a very few writers here that can get prosy and I still love their work...

Bottom line, though, if you've got an excellent story, I'm in.

Ayal Pinkus (Level 5) ~ 8/12/2012 11:11 AM

I chose "other". I prefer to read "chatty" writing, as if I'm having a beer with an entertaining individual and he's telling me stories and I breeze through the text as if having a fun time with a friend and I'm through the text before I even know it. Unfortunately, I cannot write like that.

Writing is different for me. I write mostly to record my ideas and to brainstorm so I like to write dense. No one else gets to read it.

Except for screenplays I enter here on MP of course. Here I try to be tight and lean and to follow the rules of formatting.

Reginald McGhee (Level 0) ~ 8/12/2012 1:47 PM

For some reason, I don't like dialogue. I typically like to show the entire story without dialogue. Unfortunately, the stories I write require dialogue to explain things. But I don't like writing dialogue.

David M Troop (Level 4) ~ 8/13/2012 9:51 AM

It varies from genre to genre for me.

If I'm reading a romantic comedy, I expect to see more than the average amount of dialogue (and hopefully funny jokes). I don't want car chases in a Woody Allen movie.

If I'm reading a horror script, I really don't want a group of kids talking about partying and getting laid. Get to the scary stuff!

If I'm reading a drama, I expect to be emotionally involved by the characters actions and words. I want strong and engaging characters and real settings.

So, I guess I will have to go with...other.

Because, I feel each genre may need its own writing style to be most effective. That's probably why most writers have a specific genre in which they feel most comfortable.

As far as a personal favorite...balanced I suppose. Like life, the ending of a movie should be a result of both the character's actions and words.

On the other end of the spectrum...
It's really difficult to read paragraphs of detailed description. Action is fine.